Switzerland: Animal-Product-Free Cell Culture Developed at Eawag

According to a press release dated 19 August 2025, a research team at Eawag, one of the world’s leading water research institutes, has developed a new medium for fish cell cultures that almost completely replaces the use of foetal bovine serum (FBS), which is obtained through an inhumane process. The medium is based on a defined mixture of vitamins, hormones, lipids, and growth factors; only a small amount of serum albumin remains indispensable for now. The method enables stable cell growth as well as cryopreservation and has been successfully tested in the direct transition of cultures. In the future, the medium is also expected to be applied to other cell types, such as rainbow trout brain cells. Although production is currently more expensive than FBS, the researchers anticipate lower costs with broader use, particularly in the field of cultured meat. This marks an important step toward animal-free standard procedures in environmental toxicology.