Simple, colorimetric beta-gal assay

The Beta-Galactosidase Staining Kit is a complete system for colorimetric detection of beta-galactosidase expression in mammalian cells. Simply fix, wash, and incubate your cells with the X-Gal Staining Mix. Then use a light microscope to look for the blue stain. Use the Beta-Galactosidase Staining Kit in reporter assays, to monitor transfection efficiency, and for promoter/enhancer studies.

Transfecting siRNA? Use a reagent that’s better by design

Unlike many other transfection reagents (which were originally designed for plasmid delivery and then sold for siRNA transfections) the Xfect siRNA Transfection Reagent was specifically created for siRNA delivery—and it shows in your results.

• Better gene knockdown than other siRNA transfection reagents
• Very low cytotoxicity (we routinely measure 100% viability for HeLa cells)
• Simple protocol—no optimization required. For best results on a 24-well plate, simply combine 30 picomoles of siRNA with 4 µl of transfection reagent

Photoactivatable red fluorescent protein 

Now you can switch on the red fluorescent protein mCherry in a subset of cells, proteins or organelles in order to track their movement using our new photoactivatable PAmCherry vectors. Photoactivatable fluorescent proteins such as PAmCherry are particularly useful for determining protein half-life and protein transport pathways, because molecules synthesized after activation are not able to fluoresce. Therefore, what you observe is a snapshot of the protein molecules that were present at the time of activation.

• Track cells, organelles, or proteins of interest against a dark background
• Non-fluorescent until activated by a short exposure to 350–400 nm light
• Image PAmCherry with the same filter sets used to detect red fluorescent proteins such as DsRed and mCherry

High-efficiency transfection reagent for human adult stem cells

Adult stem cells, also called somatic stem cells, are undifferentiated cells that have great potential therapeutic value because of their ability to differentiate into multiple cell lineages. The Xfect Adult Stem Cell Transfection Reagent gives researchers the ability to transfect plasmids with high efficiency into these cells, which have been difficult to transfect with other commonly used transfection reagents.

• Transfects human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) and human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs)
• Forms biodegragable nanoparticles with plasmid DNA for low cytotoxicity
• Provides far higher transfection efficiency than other reagents
• Does not affect cell differentiation

Our new integrase-deficient lentiviral packaging system (IDLV) allows you to express a protein of interest in virtually any target cell without stable integration into the genome. Published uses for IDLV include RNA interference, genome engineering, transposition and iPS cell generation.

• Transient gene expression in proliferating cells, stable expression in nondividing cells
• Reduced risk of insertional mutagenesis
• Can be used in combination with any lentiviral vector
• Produces high titer lentivirus

New SMARTer cDNA synthesis kit for high-throughput sequencing

We are proud to announce the release of a new 100 rxn format of our existing SMARTer Ultra Low RNA Kit for Illumina® Sequencing. The larger kit format provides a significantly reduced cost per analysis for high-throughput sequencing projects. This kit, like the original, revolutionizes the exploration of gene expression by enabling sample preparation starting from as little as 100 pg of total RNA or a few cells.

• High-quality cDNA synthesis integrated with Illumina library prep and sequencing
• Compatible with Illumina Genome Analyzer, HiSeq™, and HiScanSQ™ instruments
• Start from as little as 100 pg of total RNA or a few cells
• Complete transcriptome coverage

CherryPicker cell capture and separation systems

CherryPicker is a membrane-targeted version of the mCherry fluorescent protein. "Cherrypick" your favorite cell type and culture the captured cells as a more homogeneous population for a variety of downstream applications, including single-cell transcriptome analysis, expression profiling, marker discovery, and post translational modification analysis.

• Monitor cells that contain your promoter of interest in an active form or that express your protein of interest
• Capture and analyze cells with your active promoter or your protein of interest
• Culture the captured cells as a homogeneous population