Molecular Biology

GelRed® and GelGreen® fluorescent nucleic acid gel stains
The dye experts at Biotium developed the extremely popular GelRed® and GelGreen® fluorescent agarose gel stains to not only be the most sensitive DNA gel stains on the market, but also the safest: they are the only DNA gel stains that have been tested and found to be safe and non-toxic by independent laboratories.

A number of ethidium bromide (EtBr) alternatives are being marketed as being “safe” stains, however many of these dyes are well known to bind DNA in living cells, with cytotoxic effects. GelRed® and GelGreen® are nontoxic and nonmutagenic by virtue of being cell membrane impermeable, so they cannot enter living cells. Download our white paper to learn more about the safety and sensitivity of common DNA gel stains.

• GelRed® is optimally visualized with UV transilluminators using EtBr detection settings.
• GelGreen® is optimally visualized with blue light boxes using SYBR® green detection settings.

DNAzure® visible DNA gel stain
DNAzure® is, by far, the most sensitive visible DNA gel stain. This unique gel stain binds to DNA in an agarose gel, and develops visible blue bands after exposure to light. Sensitivity rivals that of fluorescent DNA gel stains.

Gel-Bright™ LED Gel Illuminator
The Gel-Bright™ LED Gel Illuminator was developed by Biotium as a simple and effective device for the visualization of fluorescent green DNA gel stains such as GelGreen®. It is also able to photoactivate the visible blue DNA gel stain, DNAzure®.

Microplate reader assay features

• Allow quantitation of many samples and replicates at once, for better accuracy
• Microplate readers have the highest sensitivity and adjustable excitation and emission settings
• The AccuBlue® NextGen assay is the most sensitive DNA quantitation assay on the market, allowing accurate detection of 1 pg* of DNA
• The AccuClear® assay is extremely versatile, with a very broad dynamic range, allowing quantitation of nearly any sample

Qubit® reader assay features

• AccuGreen™ assay kits designed for use in the pre-programmed dsDNA quantitation assays on the Qubit® reader
• AccuGreen™ assay kits are direct replacements for the Qubit® assay kits
• Significant cost savings when compared to the Qubit® kits

• Selective for RNA over dsDNA
• Linear range of 5-1000 ng RNA
• Optimized for fluorescence microplate readers with far-red fluorescence
• Optimized for the Qubit® 3 pre-programmed RNA BR program

EvaGreen® & EvaGreen® Plus dsDNA-binding dyes
EvaGreen® dyes are next-generation DNA-binding dyes that are ideal for qPCR and other applications. A key feature is a novel “release-on-demand” DNA binding mechanism, which permits the use of a relatively high dye concentration in qPCR without PCR inhibition. This makes EvaGreen® dyes uniquely suited for both qPCR and High Resolution Melting® (HRM) analysis. The dyes are also non-mutagenic, non-cytotoxic and safe to aquatic life for direct disposal in the drain. EvaGreen® Plus Dye is an improved alternative to Biotium’s original EvaGreen® Dye which retains the same essential benefits while providing a greater signal-to-noise ratio. The lower background and higher signal from EvaGreen® Plus provides further advantages for digital PCR and isothermal applications.

Forget-Me-Not™ EvaGreen® qPCR master mixes
We offer qPCR master mixes formulated with EvaGreen® dsDNA-binding dye, and master mixes for probe-based qPCR applications.

Our Forget-Me-Not™ EvaGreen® qPCR master mixes are dye-based, hot-start master mixes and can be used in place of any SYBR® Green dye-based master mixes. The Forget-Me-Not™ EvaGreen® qPCR Master Mixes contain a low concentration of inert blue dye allowing you to easily see the wells that contain master mix. The master mixes are available without ROX passive dye, with a separate tube of ROX, or premixed with ROX (high or low concentrations).

Forget-Me-Not™ Universal Probe qPCR master mix
Forget-Me-Not™ Universal Probe qPCR Master Mix is a high-performance product for fluorescent probe-based PCR applications, including quantitation and SNP genotyping. This kit is suitable for all fluorescent probe-based technologies, including hydrolysis probes (such as TaqMan® and dual-labeled BHQ® probes) and displacement probes (like Molecular Beacons).

Cheetah™ HotStart Taq
Cheetah™ Taq is a chemically-modified hot-start DNA polymerase. Using a proprietary method developed at Biotium, Cheetah™ Taq is modified to have absolutely no activity at room temperature, but be completely activated after two minutes at 95°C.

EvaEZ™ Fluorometric Polymerase Activity Assay
Our polymerase activity assay kit provides an easy and accurate way to determine the activity of a nucleic acid polymerase without using radioisotopes. This EvaGreen® dye-based assay can be used to measure the activity of Taq DNA polymerase, Pfu, Vent, Phusion®, Bst, and more.

Viability PCR (v-PCR) is a powerful technology for the sensitive and rapid detection of viable microorganisms. qPCR detection is faster and more sensitive than culturing methods, but it does not distinguish between live and dead cells. On the other hand, v-PCR using PMAxx™ or PMA viability dyes can discriminate between live and dead organisms. V-PCR technology can be applied not only to bacteria but to other organisms like yeast and viruses.

How does v-PCR work?
PMAxx™ and PMA are photoreactive dyes with high affinity for DNA. These dyes are membrane-impermeable, but can enter dead cells with compromised membranes. The dyes intercalate into dsDNA and form a covalent linkage upon exposure to intense visible light. The reaction inhibits PCR amplification of modified DNA templates by a combination of removal of modified DNA during purification and inhibition of template amplification by DNA polymerases.

We also offer PMA-Lite™ & Glo-Plate™ Blue LED photolysis devices for light treatment samples in tubes or plates.

One-Step protein gel stains
Our One-Step protein gel stains are low-cost, quick, and easy-to-use. Simply add stain to your SDS-PAGE gel without fixing or washing, and stain for 5 to 60 min. These stains are non-toxic for safer handling, and are certified under CCR Title 22 as non-hazardous for drain disposal after pH neutralization.

• One-Step Blue® replaces Coomassie® for visible staining or near-IR fluorescence.
• One-Step Lumitein™ replaces SYPRO® Ruby for UV box or gel scanner.
• One-Step Lumitein™ UV replaces Oriole™ for UV transilluminator.

Mix-n-Stain™ Total Protein Prestain Kits
These prestains allow simple and highly sensitive protein quantitation on SDS-PAGE gels and western blot membranes. The kits allow you to label purified proteins or cell lysates with our near-infrared CF® dyes before running the samples on SDS-PAGE. The staining demonstrates excellent linearity for quantitation of total protein over a wide dynamic range, outperforming traditional western blot normalization based on housekeeping protein detection.

GloMelt™ Thermal Shift Protein Stability Kits
Our GloMelt™ dye undergoes fluorescence enhancement upon binding to hydrophobic regions of denatured proteins. It can be used for measuring a protein’s denaturation temperature in an assay called thermal shift assay (also called differential scanning fluorimetry or Thermofluor). This assay can be used to screen conditions that affect protein thermal stability, such as mutations, ligand binding, and buffer formulations. The assay is rapid and is performed on a quantitative PCR system. The GloMelt™ dye has advantages over competitor products, such strong signal, and compatibility with detergents and reducing agents.

AccuOrange™ Protein Quantitation Kit
This is a highly sensitive fluorescence-based assay for quantitating purified protein or antibody samples in 96-well format. The detection range of the assay is 0.1-15 ug/mL protein. AccuOrange™ is much more sensitive than traditional protein quantitation assays such as BCA, Bradford and Lowry, and is more linearity and reproducible compared to the NanoOrange® protein quantitation assay. The assay shows minimal variability between different proteins, and has stable fluorescence signal for up to 16 hours. The AccuOrange™ assay has low tolerance for detergents, and is not recommended for use with cell lysates.

RNAstorm™ and DNAstorm™ FFPE extraction kits
Our proprietary catalytic CAT5™ technology greatly accelerates the removal of formaldehyde damage and allows recovery of higher quality nucleic acids from FFPE samples. This results in higher yields, more intact RNA or DNA, and better results in downstream analysis like PCR, microarray, or next-generation sequencing (NGS).

CAT5™ catalytic technology

• Enzymatic reversal of formaldehyde crosslinking
• Effective: Higher yields than heat-based methods
• Gentle: no high temperature or harsh solvents
• Higher quality RNA or DNA with less fragmentation

Gel-Bright™ LED Gel Illuminator
The Gel-Bright™ LED Gel Illuminator was developed by Biotium as a simple, effective device for the visualization of fluorescent green DNA gel stains such as GelGreen®. It is also able to photoactivate the visible blue DNA gel stain, DNAzure®.

Features:

• Optimized for green dyes, such as GelGreen® DNA Gel Stain
• Safer than a UV transilluminator; UV protective eyewear or clothing are not  required
• No UV-induced damage of DNA