HAM’s Medium was originally developed to support the growth of Chinese Hamster Ovary cells. Nowadays it is often used for the cultivation of different kinds of mammalian cells. HAM does not require serum supplementation. It is used with or without serum, depending on the cell type.

There are two types of HAM’s Medium

• HAM’s F-10 Medium: permits cell culture of human diploid cells and white blood cells primary from rats, rabbits and chickens for chromosomal analysis.
• HAM’s F-12 Medium: a modification of the HAM’s F-10 Medium. Permits cell culture of mammalian cells like rat-hepatocytes and rat-prostate cells with substitution of serum.