Quick Definition
What is Human AB Serum?: Human AB serum is whole human serum from donors with blood group AB — containing neither anti-A nor anti-B antibodies. This makes it compatible with cells from any ABO blood group donor without triggering agglutination or complement-mediated lysis, which is why virtually all human serum used in cell culture is type AB.
When does human AB serum outperform FBS?
Human AB serum is essential (not just preferred) for: PBMC assays and ELISpot where FBS endotoxin-driven monocyte activation creates unacceptable background; IVD calibrator and diagnostic matrix development where a human matrix is required; and plasma stability assays in DMPK where human esterase activity is needed. For primary human cells — fibroblasts, endothelial cells, keratinocytes — human AB serum often gives higher proliferation rates than FBS because growth factors are species-matched.
Key Facts
- Type AB donors have neither anti-A nor anti-B antibodies — universal serum type for all cell culture applications
- Contains ~8–12 mg/mL human IgG — much higher than FBS (50–200 µg/mL bovine IgG)
- Heat inactivated (HI) grade: complement inactivated at 56°C for 30 min — standard for PBMC and immune cell assays
- Essential for PBMC and ELISpot assays — FBS endotoxin activates monocytes non-specifically via TLR4, creating high background cytokine signal
- Used in plasma stability assays (DMPK) as human-relevant matrix with physiological esterase activity
- Available from SeamlessBio: EU and US origin, mixed donors and male-only pools, native and heat inactivated
Further Reading
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