Bio-Rad’s Three New Fluorescent Dyes are Intended to Enhance Multiplex Flow Cytometry

In April 2022, Bio-Rad Laboratories introduced three new StarBright Dyes: StarBright UltraViolet 510, StarBright UltraViolet 665, and StarBright UltraViolet 795. These dyes are designed for use with a 355-nanometer ultraviolet (UV) laser in flow cytometry applications. StarBright UltraViolet 510, 665, and 795 dyes were designed to offer enhanced brightness with narrow excitation and emission profiles, allowing for precise resolution.

The StarBright line of dyes offers researchers unique fluorescent nanoparticles conjugated to highly validated flow antibodies, which are compatible with most experimental protocols and flow cytometers, including Bio-Rad’s ZE5 Cell Analyzer and S3e Cell Sorter, according to the company’s April 19, 2022 press release. The dyes are resistant to photobleaching and are highly stable with no loss of signal in fixation. Furthermore, the dyes minimize lot-to-lot variation, which helps to ensure consistent staining and reliable results.

“We are proud to add three new dyes to Bio-Rad’s StarBright UltraViolet portfolio, following its launch last year, and are now better positioned to support researchers with their flow cytometry workflows by providing a range of high-performance dyes excitable by the 355 nanometer UV laser to existing alternatives,” said Mike Blundell, PhD, product manager, flow cytometry, Life Science Group, Bio-Rad, in the press release. “The unrivaled brightness of the dyes enables enhanced resolution of low-density antigens and rare populations while maintaining consistent and reproducible staining without the need for special buffers.”