Microspheres (also called latex beads or latex particles) are spherical particles in the colloidal size range that are formed from an amorphous polymer such as polystyrene. Our Molecular Probes™ FluoSpheres™ beads are manufactured using high-quality, ultraclean polystyrene and are loaded with a variety of our proprietary dyes to create intensely fluorescent beads that typically show little or no photobleaching, even when excited with the intense illumination required for fluorescence microscopy. This FluoSpheres™ Size Kit supplies 1 mL of each the 0.02, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 μm sizes.
FluoSpheres™ Microsphere Specifications•
Label (Ex/Em): Yellow-green fluorescent (505/515)•
Nominal bead diameter: 0.02, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 μm•
Coupling surface: Carboxylate•
Solids: 2%Characteristics of the Various FluoSpheres™ Coupling Surfaces• Carboxylate-modified FluoSpheres™ beads have a high density of pendent carboxylic acids on their surface, making them suitable for covalent coupling of proteins and other amine-containing biomolecules using water-soluble carbodiimide reagents such as EDAC.
• Sulfate FluoSpheres™ beads are relatively hydrophobic particles that will passively and nearly irreversibly adsorb almost any protein, including albumin, IgG, avidin, and streptavidin.
• Aldehyde-sulfate FluoSpheres™ beads have surface aldehyde groups added, designed to react with proteins and other amines under very mild conditions.
• Amine-modified FluoSpheres™ beads can be coupled to a wide variety of amine-reactive molecules, including the succinimidyl esters and isothiocyanates of haptens and drugs or the carboxylic acids of proteins, using a water-soluble carbodiimide.
Key Applications of Microspheres• Instrument calibration (flow cytometry, microscopy, HTS, HCS)
• Flow testing (microfluidics, blood flow, water flow, and air flow)
• Cell biology tracers (cell differentiation and cell tracing)
• Immunoassays (agglutination tests, ELISA, particle capture, and contrast reagents)
Choices for FluoSpheres™ Fluorescent MicrospheresAmong our
complete offering of fluorescent microspheres products, you’ll find beads with these variations:
• Ten fluorescent colors
• Ten nominal bead diameters: 0.02 μm, 0.04 μm, 0.1 μm, 0.2 μm, 0.5 μm, 1.0 μm, 2.0 μm, 4.0 μm, 10.0 μm, and 15.0 μm
• Four surface modifications for protein coupling: carboxylate, sulfate, aldehyde-sulfate, amine
• Microspheres that are additionally precoupled with streptavidin, NeutrAvidin, biotin, europium, and platinum
Choices for Unstained MicrospheresWe also offer hundreds of choices for
UltraClean™ surfactant-free microspheres for research and commercial applications.
We’ll Make a Custom Microsphere Product for YouWe will prepare
custom orders upon request. For example, FluoSpheres™ beads can be prepared with intensities that are
lower than those of our regular selection, a desirable feature in some multicolor applications. Our custom conjugation service is efficient and confidential, and we guarantee the quality of our work. We are ISO 13485:2000 certified.
For Research Use Only. Not intended for animal or human therapeutic or diagnostic use.
For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.