Increase the sensitivity in immunoassays
Ultra Beacons dramatically boost the performance of immunoassays such as ELISA, FLISA, CLIA, and ECLIA. In this sandwich immunoassay, the analyte is captured between a capture antibody and a detection antibody. We compared a conventional dye-labeled detection antibody (7 dyes) with the same antibody labeled using Ultra Beacons carrying 1, 30, 80, or 140 dyes. For each variant, we measured the lower limit of detection (LoD) and used its inverse as a proxy for assay sensitivity. As the dye load of the Ultra Beacon increases, so does the signal intensity and assay sensitivity. Replacing the standard label with an Ultra Beacon improved immunoassay performance by 23-fold, simply by swapping one reagent.
Increase the signal in fluorescence microscopy
Ultra Beacons significantly enhance fluorescence microscopy performance. In this experiment, a rare antigen on a suspension cell line was stained either with a commercially available antibody or with the same antibody labeled using an Ultra Beacon. Cells were imaged on a standard fluorescence microscope. The strong signal amplification provided by Ultra Beacons enables clear visualization of low-abundance cellular targets that are difficult to detect with conventional fluorescent antibodies
Increase the performance in flow cytometry
Ultra Beacons enable highly sensitive staining of rare antigens in flow cytometry. In this experiment, a cancer cell line expressing low-abundance targets was stained either with a conventional commercially available antibody or with the same antibody labeled using an Ultra Beacon. Conventional antibodies show limited separation between the stained sample and the isotype control. In contrast, Ultra Beacons amplify the fluorescence signal, producing a clear separation and improving population resolution. As a result, Ultra Beacons substantially increase the staining index (the difference between the mean fluorescence intensities of the stained sample and the isotype control, divided by the standard deviation of the isotype control), enabling more accurate detection of rare cell-surface markers.