Nanometre-sized semiconductor crystals that can be conjugated with biological molecules while retaining their optical properties
Cambridge BioScience has introduced Qdot streptavidin conjugates, a new class of fluorescent biolabelling reagents suitable for use in a wide range of assays.
Quantum dots are nanometre-sized semiconductor crystals that can be conjugated with biological molecules while retaining their optical properties.
Qdots provide a superior detection platform for nucleic acids and protein analysis.
They demonstrate high sensitivity, are easy to use and can are highly cost-effective in high throughput applications. Qdots's high photostability allows users an increased time for focussing and setting up of instruments without any risk of the image fading.
The need for cytotoxic anti-fade reagents is also eliminated and reanalysis of samples is equally as quantitative as on initial analysis.
The intense Qdots signals are bright enough to allow quantitation of even low abundance targets using a variety of fluorescence detection instruments, without the need for hardware modification.
Qdots are available in a range of different colours, providing the opportunity to multiplex assays.
All can be activated using a single excitation source.
Qdot nanocrystal-tagged conjugates can be used to improve assays that currently use fluorescent-tagged molecules, colorimetric enzymes or colloidal gold.
525, 565, 585 and 605nm streptavidin conjugates are now available.
