Minimum Essential Medium (MEM) with Earle′s Balanced Salts was developed by Harry Eagle as a result of his studies to determine the essential nutritional requirements of mouse L cells and HeLa cells in culture. He demonstrated that these cells require 13 amino acids and seven vitamins to grow and reproduce in vitro. MEM is a modification of Eagle′s earlier medium Basal Medium Eagle (BME), containing higher concentrations of the essential nutrients. This medium has demonstrated the ability to support a variety of normal and transformed cells in culture and contains Earle′s Balanced Salts, which makes it suitable for use in atmospheres charged with CO₂ gas.

Minimum essential medium (MEM) has been used as a growth medium for bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and neurons.