F-12 cell culture medium was developed by Ham in 1969 based on Ham's F-10 nutrient mixture, initially designed for serum-free culture of CHO cells. F-12 commonly serves as a base medium for serum-free culture. At low serum concentrations, it is particularly suitable for single-cell and clonal cultures. When supplemented with serum, it is also widely used for culturing cancer cells and primary cells, such as rat hepatocytes, rat prostate epithelial cells, chondrocytes, rat myoblasts, and chicken embryo cells.

This product contains multiple components essential for cell culture, including amino acids, vitamins, and inorganic salts, but does not contain proteins, lipids, or any growth factors. Therefore, it must be used in combination with serum or serum-free additives.