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Dynabeads Magnetic Beads |
Dynabeads magnetic beads offer reliable and reproducible results through gentle and efficient magnetic bead-based separation, suitable for a wide range of applications including cells, T cells, proteins, and exosomes. These beads are highly cited within the research community, significantly contributing to advancements in life sciences, biotechnology, and clinical research. Supported by over 30 years of Dynabeads expertise, Thermo Fisher Scientific offers exceptional service and support for all Dynabeads products.
What are Dynabeads magnetic beads?
Dynabeads magnetic beads are superparamagnetic, uniform, and spherical particles used for the isolation, separation, and purification of various biological molecules and cells in both research and clinical research applications.
Scientists trust Dynabeads products for several reasons:
- Magnetic bead separation—gentle on cells, proteins, and nucleic acids, maintaining viability and sample integrity without the need for columns or centrifugation
- Uniform bead size—helps ensure consistent binding properties and highly reproducible results
- Spherical shape and defined surface chemistry—reduces aggregation and nonspecific binding
- Broad surface functionalities—facilitates the specific separation of a wide range of biological entities, from molecules to cells
- Polymer shell—protects targets from toxic exposure to iron, crucial for cell isolation and expansion
- Custom beads and OEM partnerships—product specialists collaborate with leading biotech, pharma, and clinical research organizations to help provide optimized and validated Dynabeads magnetic beads under custom and OEM supply arrangements
The Dynabeads magnetic separation protocol generally consists of three simple steps: bind, wash, and release. When selecting Dynabeads products, there are two main considerations: bead size and coating. Dynabeads magnetic beads come in several sizes and surface functionalities, making them suitable for a wide range of applications. Some beads are precoupled with a biomolecule (ligand), which can be an antibody, protein, antigen, DNA/RNA probe, or any other molecule with an affinity for the desired target. Ready-to-use Dynabeads products and kits are available for many applications, and for assays that require flexibility, a range of Dynabeads products with specific characteristics are available, helping ensure that users can find the right beads for their specific needs.
Dynabeads magnetic bead separation applications
Learn more about application areas and how Dynabeads products can help your research.
Streptavidin is a protein with high affinity for biotin, used in various molecular applications. Dynabeads streptavidin magnetic beads are used in the isolation of cells, isolation of proteins, nucleic acid capture, mRNA synthesis, and NGS workflows.
Immunoprecipitation is a technique used to isolate a specific antigen from a mixture. Dynabeads magnetic beads offer high capacity and yield, low non-specific binding, sensitivity, reproducibility, and cost effectiveness.
Cell isolation is a process used to separate specific cell types from a population of interest. Dynabeads are coated with antibodies or ligands for positive cell isolation, negative cell isolation, or cell depletion from various sample types.
Surface-activated magnetic beads are used to immobilize a target ligand for protein capture from a sample. Dynabeads magnetic beads with different surface functionalities, such as tosylactivated, carboxylic acid, amine, or epoxy are available for isolation of proteins, target nucleic acids, and cells.
T cell activation and expansion are crucial for immune response and therapy. Dynabeads products can help activate and expand naïve and memory T cells, T cell clones, regulatory T cells, natural killer T (NKT) cells, and cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) from mouse and human samples.
Learn more about T cell activation and expansion magnetic beads
Exosome research involves studying small extracellular vesicles for their role in cell communication and health. Dynabeads facilitate efficient exosome isolation in various research applications.
mRNA synthesis involves creating messenger RNA for various applications. Dynabeads enable a scalable magnetic bead-based method for mRNA synthesis and purification, enabling template reuse for in vitro transcription and a bind-wash-elute workflow for mRNA purification.
Learn more about mRNA synthesis and purification mgnetic beads
Viral enrichment is crucial for research studies as it allows the purification and concentration of viruses present in low concentrations. Dynabeads magnetic beads support a rapid and convenient method for isolating negatively charged viruses, helping ensure high yield and preserving their integrity.
Nucleic acid isolation and purification is commonly the first step in a molecular biology lab. MagMAX kits provide an efficient and reliable method for the purification and extraction of DNA and RNA from various sample types using magnetic beads.
Featured Dynabeads magnetic beads
Explore automated magnetic bead-based kits, reagents, and protocols
Increase efficiency by removing manual steps and reducing overall processing time, maintain consistent results with every run, enjoy easy installation (ready to run in 10 minutes or less), and benefit from optimized, easy-to-follow protocols by downloading existing protocols from our library.
Learn more about KingFisher instruments for automated protocols
How does magnetic bead separation work?
The Dynabeads magnetic separation protocol generally consists of three simple steps. No centrifugation steps or columns are required for sample processing, and the protocol can be run manually with Invitrogen DynaMag magnetic racks or automated on Thermo Scientific KingFisher instruments.
- Bind—Dynabeads magnetic beads bind to the desired target (e.g., cells, microorganisms, nucleic acids, peptides, proteins, protein complexes, etc.). In the example shown (Figure 1), an antibody is attached to the surface of the magnetic bead.
- Wash—The beads respond to a magnetic field, allowing bound material to be rapidly and efficiently collected on the magnet and separated from the rest of the sample. Unbound material remains in the supernatant and is removed by aspiration.
- Release—The bead-bound target is released from the surface of the beads in a suitable volume for use in downstream applications. Alternatively, the bead-bound target can be used directly while still attached to the beads.
Figure 1. Dynabeads work in three steps: bind, wash, and release.
Video: Magnetic separation using Dynabeads magnetic beads
Dynal is built on a breakthrough that revolutionized the separation of biological materials. In 1976, the Norwegian professor John Ugelstad first succeeded in making spherical polystyrene beads of uniform size—only previously achieved by NASA in the weightless conditions of space. Another amazing achievement followed when the uniform beads were made magnetizable.
As the first mono-disperse solid-phase in solution, these pioneering innovations defined magnetic separation technology and allowed researchers to get lab results that were previously unattainable. A wide range of easy-to-use Dynabeads magnetic beads have since been developed, creating unlimited possibilities for biological discovery. Over the years, this Dynabeads magnetic bead technology has been used in a staggering range of applications within life sciences, biotech, and healthcare.
- 1980—The technology behind the superparamagnetic beads was licensed to Dyno Industries.
- 1982—Dynabeads magnetic beads were commercially developed with Pharmacia Fine Chemicals in Uppsala, Sweden (now part of GE Healthcare).
- 1986—Dynal AS was established.
- 2000—Through the acquisition of Dyno Particles, Dynal obtained control of the entire manufacturing chain, along with extensive IPR and know-how for both magnetic and non-magnetic particles.
- 2001—Dynal Biotech was acquired by Nordic Capital and Ratos AB, Sweden.
- 2003—Two Pel-Freez companies in Brown Deer (USA) and Beijing (China) became part of Dynal Biotech.
- 2005—Invitrogen acquired Dynal Biotech.
- 2006—Dynal changed its name to Invitrogen Dynal AS.
Exceptional product quality and reproducibility has always been the hallmark of Dynal. Inspired by the Norwegian invention of magnetic bead-based separation technology, we are committed to helping deliver consistency and reduce variability in your protocols.
Versatility of Dynabeads magnetic beads
There are two main considerations for Dynabeads products—bead size and coating. Many optimized Dynabeads magnetic beads are ready for immediate use in a variety of applications. Alternatively, you can easily prepare magnetic beads with your own antibody, oligonucleotide, or other ligand of choice.
- Size—Dynabeads magnetic beads come in 4.5, 2.8, or 1.0 µm sizes for different applications. Typically, larger beads are used with intact cells for isolation and expansion. Smaller beads are used with molecules including proteins and nucleic acids.
- Specificity—To capture specific cells or molecules, Dynabeads products that are already conjugated to molecules like antibodies or protein G can be purchased. The beads can also be included as part of a kit.
- Flexibility—Streptavidin-coated, surface-activated, or custom and OEM beads can be used to customize the beads with your molecule of interest.
There are a multitude of ways to use Dynabeads magnetic beads for cell, protein, ligand, or nucleic acid isolation. View the table below to determine which Dynabeads product will work best with your starting sample and downstream application.
| Type | Product | Starting sample | Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Streptavidin | Dynabeads FlowComp Flexi Kit | PBMC, blood, single cell suspensions from lymph nodes, spleen, or other tissues | This kit facilitates everything you need for labeling of antibodies and subsequent cell isolation. Beads are removed after isolation to obtain pure and viable cells suitable for any downstream application. |
| CELLection Biotin Binder Kit | PBMC, tissue digests, blood | Use with any biotinylated antibody to positively isolate cells from any species. The beads are removed after isolation to obtain pure and viable cells for use in any application. | |
| Dynabeads Biotin Binder | PBMC, tissue digests, blood | Isolate any cell from any species. This kit binds all biotinylated antibodies and is our most flexible secondary product for cell isolation or depletion. | |
| Dynabeads Sheep anti-Rat IgG | PBMC, tissue digests, blood | Isolate any cell type from any species excluding rat to use with your preferred primary IgG rat antibody. Excellent for positive isolation, negative isolation, or depletion of cells. | |
| Secondary-coated | Dynabeads Pan Mouse IgG | PBMC, tissue digests, blood | A flexible secondary product for cell isolation or depletion. It will bind all subclasses of mouse IgG and is Fc specific. Requires less antibody and has shown no cross reactivity to human, rat, hamster, goat, rabbit, and guinea pig IgG. |
| CELLection Pan Mouse IgG | PBMC, tissue digests, blood | Use with any mouse IgG to positively isolate cells from any species except mouse. Beads can be removed after isolation to leave pure and viable cells for use in any application. | |
| Dynabeads Sheep anti-Mouse IgG | PBMC, tissue digests, blood | Isolate any cell type from any species except mouse. For use with your primary mouse IgG1, IgG2a, or IgG2b antibody of choice. Excellent for positive isolation, negative isolation, or depletion of cells. Also available in clinical research grade as Dynabeads ClinExVivo Sheep anti-Mouse IgG. | |
| Dynabeads Goat anti-Mouse IgG | PBMC, tissue digests, blood | Isolate any cell type from any species except mouse. For use with your primary IgG mouse antibody of choice. Exceptional for positive isolation, negative isolation, or depletion of cells. | |
| Dynabeads Rat anti-Mouse IgM | PBMC, tissue digests, blood | Isolate any cell type from any species except mouse. For use with your primary mouse IgM antibody of choice. Exceptional for positive isolation, negative isolation, or depletion of cells. | |
| Dynabeads Sheep anti-Rabbit IgG | PBMC, tissue digests, blood | Isolate any cell type from any species except rabbit. For use with your primary rabbit antibody of choice. This product can be used for eukaryotic cells. | |
| Surface-activated | Dynabeads M-450 Epoxy | PBMC, tissue digests, blood | Hydrophobic naked beads with glycidyl ether (epoxy) reactive groups. Excellent for coupling of antibodies for cell applications. Coupling reactions can be performed at neutral pH, with 24-hour incubation at room temperature. Also available in clinical research grade as Dynabeads ClinExVivo Epoxy. |
| Dynabeads M-450 Tosylactivated | PBMC, tissue digests, blood | Hydrophobic naked beads with p-toluenesulphonyl (tosyl) reactive groups. For coupling of antibodies for cell applications. Coupling reactions can be performed at neutral pH although high pH and incubation at 37°C will promote covalent binding. |
Searching for high-performing, more sustainable magnetic beads? Introducing DynaGreen Magnetic Beads.
DynaGreen Magnetic Beads enable high-quality, reproducible results and are also more sustainable and microplastic-free. How do these beads contribute to more sustainable science? All DynaGreen Magnetic Beads have the following features:
- Non-microplastic bead core
- Energy-efficient manufacturing
- Reduced water consumption
- Use of non-hazardous chemicals
- Recyclable packaging
- Paperless documents
Dynabeads-related products
View Dynabeads-related products and accessories available for use with our magnetic beads.
DynaMag magnetic racks are used to isolate any target in combination with Dynabeads magnetic beads. These magnets help ensure optimal working positions and are functionally adapted to suit your workflow.
The HulaMixer Sample Mixer is a tube rotator and rotating mixer. Samples often need to incubate with Dynabeads magnetic beads so appropriate binding can occur.
Dynabeads magnetic beads and kits are validated for automated workflows on KingFisher Sample Purification Systems.
Automation systems are available for your workflows with Dynabeads magnetic beads and kits. KingFisher instruments support software for automated protocols.
Send a question to a technical specialist
Have a question about a Dynabeads product? Our technical specialists can help! Ask us
Publications using Dynabeads magnetic beads
- Brinkmalm A., Öhrfelt A., Bhattacharjee P., et al. (2019) Detection of α-Synuclein in Biological Samples Using Mass Spectrometry. Methods Mol Biol 1948:209–220.
- Bafunno V., Firinu D., D’Apolito M., et al. (2018) Mutation of the angiopoietin-1 gene (ANGPT1) associates with a new type of hereditary angioedema. J Allergy Clin Immunol 141(3):1009–1017.
- Stanton BZ., Hodges C., Crabtree GR., et al. (2017) A General Non-Radioactive ATPase Assay for Chromatin Remodeling Complexes. Curr Protoc Chem Biol 9(1):1–10.
- Yang, Yuening et al. (2024) “Current progress in strategies to profile transcriptomic m6A modifications.” Frontiers in cell and developmental biology vol. 12 1392159.
- Liu, Cheng et al. (2023) “Rif1 Regulates Self-Renewal and Impedes Mesendodermal Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells.” Stem cell reviews and reports vol. 19,5: 1540-1553.
- Wagner, Susan et al. (2022) “Selective footprinting of 40S and 80S ribosome subpopulations (Sel-TCP-seq) to study translation and its control.” Nature protocols vol. 17,10: 2139-2187.
- Ben Maamar, Millissia et al. (2021) “Genome-Wide Mapping of DNA Methylation 5mC by Methylated DNA Immunoprecipitation (MeDIP)-Sequencing.” Methods in molecular biology vol. 2198: 301-310.
- Hsu, Hang-Kai et al. (2020) “Detection of DNA Methylation by MeDIP and MBDCap Assays: An Overview of Techniques.” Methods in molecular biology vol. 2102): 225-234.
Additional publications can be found in our Citations and References database. The database can be searched using a product catalog number or keyword. For example, searching with the term "10001D" will return a list of journal articles that cite the use of Dynabeads Protein A for Immunoprecipitation (Cat. No. 10001D) and searching with the term "dynabeads" will return a list of journal articles that cite the use of any Dynabeads product. Note that the Citations and References database on thermofisher.com contains only the small subset of scientific journal articles that cite the use of our products. Many more can be found via targeted searches of the PubMed™ database and similar databases.
- Duan, Wan-Li et al. (2024) “N6022 attenuates cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury-induced microglia ferroptosis by promoting Nrf2 nuclear translocation and inhibiting the GSNOR/GSTP1 axis.” European journal of pharmacology vol. 972.
- Xu, Jihao et al. (2024) “Engrailed-1 Promotes Pancreatic Cancer Metastasis.” Advanced science vol. 11,6.
- Murayama, Takahiko et al. (2024) “Targeting DHX9 Triggers Tumor-Intrinsic Interferon Response and Replication Stress in Small Cell Lung Cancer.” Cancer discovery vol. 14,3 468-491.
- Shoukry NH., Sidney J., Sette A., et al. (2004) Conserved hierarchy of helper T cell responses in a chimpanzee during primary and secondary Hepatitis C virus infections. J Immunol 172(1):483–492.
- Mackay GA., Liu Z., Singh DK., et al. (2004) Protection against late-onset AIDS in macaques prophylactically immunized with a live simian HIV vaccine was dependent on persistence of the vaccine virus. J Immunol 173(6):4100–4107.
- Zhao H., Laitala-Leinonen T., Parikka V., et al. (2001) Downregulation of small GTPase Rab7 impairs osteoclast polarization and bone resorption. J Biol Chem 276(42):39295–39302.
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For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.