Bio-Rad Laboratories has launched Clarity Max Western ECL Substrate, an enhanced chemiluminescent (ECL) detection reagent that provides superior performance for low-abundance proteins, whether using film or digital detection systems.
Selecting the best Western blotting detection substrate can be difficult because most available substrates are highly specialised, forcing researchers to choose what they hope is the best option among a family of five or more, the firm says. Because it is nearly impossible to determine protein expression levels prior to detection, researchers are often left to guess which substrate will provide the optimal result.
'Companies typically offer a complex portfolio of four to five western blotting substrates,' said Scott Chilton, Bio-Rad Product Manager for electrophoresis/Western blotting.
'Bio-Rad’s Clarity family of western ECL substrates simplifies the search for the right substrate. Clarity is the choice for most Western blotting experiments, and now Clarity Max is available when higher sensitivity is needed to visualise low-abundance proteins.'
Clarity Max Western ECL Substrate can detect proteins at mid- to low-femtogram levels, and the substrate generates clean blots that offer bright bands and low background. It can be used with nitrocellulose, PVDF, and low-fluorescence PVDF membrane and is compatible with film and charged-couple device (CCD) imaging systems. Clarity Max Substrate is easy to store and handle, offering a one-year shelf life when stored at room temperature.