In the field of immunology and oncology research, accurate identification of monocytes and macrophages is essential for understanding various pathologies and developing effective therapies. To address this need, we have developed two innovative solutions: FlowBoScan™ and ToBoScan™. While both products are designed to detect and characterise different stages of monocytes and macrophages in blood, they have key differences in their format and application that make them suitable for different research and diagnostic needs.
FlowBoScan™: Premixed Antibody Panel in Liquid Format
FlowBoScan™ is a panel of pre-mixed antibodies in liquid format, designed to facilitate the identification of various stages of monocyte and macrophage development in blood samples. This product contains an optimised combination of antibodies conjugated to specific fluorochromes, selected to recognise key markers on the cell surface.
FlowBoScan™ Key Features
–Convenience and efficiency: pre-mixed and ready to use, FlowBoScan™ reduces preparation time and minimises pipetting errors, ensuring consistent and reproducible results.
-Essential markers: Includes antibodies directed against key markers such as CD14, CD16, CD300e and HLA-DR, enabling detailed characterisation of monocyte and macrophage subtypes.
-Flexibility: Its liquid format is compatible with various flow cytometry protocols, adapting to the specific needs of different laboratories and studies.
ToBoScan™: Single Use Tubes with Lyophilised Antibodies
On the other hand, ToBoScan™ comes in the form of single-use tubes containing conjugated and lyophilised antibodies in an optimised dried formulation. This innovative design simplifies the staining process and improves reagent stability.
Key features of ToBoScan™
-Ease of use: Preconfigured tubes eliminate the need to prepare antibody mixtures, reducing handling time and the risk of inter-assay variability.
-Improved stability: Lyophilisation of the antibodies ensures greater stability and shelf life, maintaining the efficacy of the reagents even under suboptimal storage conditions.
–Detection accuracy: Like FlowBoScan™, ToBoScan™ incorporates antibodies against critical markers such as CD14, CD16, CD300e and HLS-DR, ensuring accurate identification of cell populations of interest.
Although both products share the goal of facilitating the detection and characterization of monocytes and macrophages, their differences in format and application offer specific advantages depending on the user’s needs:
-Format: FlowBoScan™ comes in premixed liquid solution, whereas ToBoScan™ uses tubes with lyophilized antibody.
-Preparation: FlowBoScan™ requires pipetting steps to add the antibody mixture to the samples, offering flexibility in protocol adaptation. In contrast, ToBoScan™ simplifies the process by eliminating the need for pipetting, as the antibodies are pre-dispensed in the single-use tubes.
-Stability: Lyophilization in ToBoScan™ provides increased stability and shelf life of antibodies, especially useful in environments where control of storage conditions can be a challenge.
-Applications: FlowBoScan™ is ideal for laboratories that prefer flexibility in their assay preparation and can benefit from the ability to adjust concentrations or combinations of antibodies according to specific needs. ToBoScan™, on the other hand, is perfect for environments seeking standardization and reduction of preparation errors, offering a practical and consistent solution.
Common research and diagnostic applications
Both FlowBoScan™ and ToBoScan™ are valuable tools in various areas of biomedical research and clinical diagnostics:
-Oncology: Monitoring of monocytes and macrophages is crucial in early diagnosis and treatment monitoring in cancer, as changes in these cell populations may reflect tumor progression or therapeutic response.
-Autoimmune diseases: Alterations in the proportion and function of monocytes and macrophages are implicated in autoimmune diseases, so their detailed analysis can provide valuable diagnostic and prognostic information.
–Research in tissue homeostasis: These products allow the study of the role of monocytes and macrophages in tissue repair and maintenance, providing insights into inflammatory and regenerative processes.
Conclusion
In summary, FlowBoScan™ and ToBoScan™ offer complementary solutions for the detection and characterization of monocytes and macrophages, adapting to different requirements of flexibility, standardization and stability in research and diagnostic laboratories. The choice between one or the other will depend on the specific needs of the user and the operating conditions of the working environment.