Medium optimization is an important strategy that can lead to several fold increase in the production of proteins in cell culture. However, the usual methods of medium optimization are complex and time consuming. Urokinase is a widely employed thrombolytic drug for the treatment of stroke. We describe here medium optimization for maximizing urokinase production by HT-1080 cells using supplementation of specific amino acids. The new specifically designed method resulted in 240 % increase in urokinase productivity.