RPMI 1640 Medium was developed at Roswell Park Memorial Institute in 1966 by Moore and his co-workers. A modification of McCoy′s 5A Medium, it was formulated to support lymphoblastoid cells in suspension culture, but it has since been shown to support a wide variety of cells that are anchorage-dependent. Originally intended to be used with a serum supplement, RPMI 1640 has been shown to support several cell lines in the absence of serum. It has also been widely used in fusion protocols and in the growth of hybrid cells. This medium is suitable for culturing human normal and neoplastic leukocytes.

RPMI-1640 medium formulation is based on the RPMI-1630 series of media utilizing a bicarbonate buffering system and alterations in the amounts of amino acids and vitamins. It is used for the culture of human normal and neoplastic leukocytes. RPMI-1640 also supports the growth of various types of cell cultures, like fresh human lymphocytes in the 72-hour phytohemagglutinin (PHA) stimulation assay.

RPMI-1640 medium has been used to culture:

• human immortalized keratinocyte cells and in in vitro transfection assay
• cell lines and human T-cell blasts and to monitor autophagic flux
• peripheral blood mononuclear cells of piglets (PBMCs)