Bio‑Rad expands TrailBlazer kits for antibody conjugation to StarBright dyes
Expanded portfolio enables flexible panel design for flow cytometry and fluorescent western blot applications
11 May 2026Product news
Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. has announced the expansion of its TrailBlazer™ StarBright™ Dye Label Kits. The expanded portfolio, now fully commercially available in Europe, provides immunology researchers with 32 kits for convenient antibody conjugation to premium StarBright fluorophores, supporting optimal panel design for flow cytometry and fluorescent western blot applications.
Expanded TrailBlazer StarBright Dye Label Kit range
The expanded range offers a total of 32 different kits, enabling researchers to conjugate StarBright Dyes to antibodies of choice. This expansion increases access to Bio-Rad’s StarBright UltraViolet, Violet, Blue, Yellow, and Red Dyes, simplifying panel design and supporting high-quality data generation.
The kits are designed to address applications where commercially available antibody–fluorophore combinations are limited, providing greater flexibility for both industry and academic laboratories. With broad antibody compatibility and long-term stability, the TrailBlazer StarBright Dye Label Kits support consistent, high-performance conjugated antibodies for downstream analysis.
SpyTag and SpyCatcher technology for stable antibody conjugation
When used in combination with Bio-Rad’s TrailBlazer Tag Kit, the TrailBlazer StarBright Dye Label Kits employ SpyTag and SpyCatcher technology to conjugate a StarBright Dye to an antibody of choice. This site-specific conjugation approach generates highly stable conjugated antibodies suitable for a range of immunology research workflows.
The combined TrailBlazer Tag and StarBright Dye Label Kits enable researchers to design optimized multicolor panels for flow cytometry and to develop fluorescent western blot assays using their preferred primary antibodies.
Benefits for flow cytometry panel design
The expanded TrailBlazer StarBright Dye Label Kit portfolio facilitates optimal panel design for complex flow cytometry experiments. By allowing researchers to pair StarBright Dyes with virtually any compatible antibody, the kits support:
- High-quality flow cytometry data generation
- Improved flexibility where pre-conjugated antibody options are limited
- Access to StarBright UltraViolet, Violet, Blue, Yellow, and Red Dyes for multiplexed panels
StarBright Dyes for sensitive and reproducible detection
Bio-Rad’s StarBright Dyes are proprietary fluorescent nanoparticles conjugated to flow-validated antibodies against key immunological targets. These dyes offer exceptional brightness with narrow excitation and emission profiles, enabling precise resolution of specific cell populations.
StarBright Dyes are compatible with most experimental protocols and flow cytometers, including the Bio-Rad ZE5 Cell Analyzer, without the need for special buffers. This compatibility supports highly sensitive fluorescent detection, improved resolution, and minimized spillover and spreading in multicolor panels.
Minimal lot-to-lot variation helps ensure reproducible and consistent staining, while resistance to photobleaching and no loss of signal following fixation support robust performance in demanding experimental workflows.
StarBright Dyes for fluorescent western blot imaging
For fluorescent western blot applications, StarBright Blue 700 and StarBright Blue 520 are designed to work with the configuration of the ChemiDoc™ MP and ChemiDoc™ Go Imagers. These dyes are labeled to anti-mouse and anti-rabbit secondary antibodies, enabling bright, highly sensitive fluorescent detection with short exposure times.
This configuration supports efficient multiplexed detection and clear visualization of protein targets in immunoblotting workflows.
“The expansion of our TrailBlazer StarBright Dye Label Kit portfolio, now totaling 32 kits, offers our customers a more flexible solution for panel design, providing all the benefits of StarBright Dyes for any antibody of choice,” said Hilary Mavor, Marketing Director, Life Science Group, Bio-Rad.
“By offering broad antibody compatibility and long-term stability, the additional TrailBlazer StarBright Dye Label Kits will enable generation of consistent and high-quality conjugated antibodies for flow cytometry and fluorescent western blot applications.”
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Frequently asked questions
How does Bio-Rad’s expanded TrailBlazer StarBright Dye Label Kit portfolio support advanced flow cytometry panel design?
The expanded TrailBlazer™ StarBright™ Dye Label Kit range from Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. offers 32 different kits that enable researchers to conjugate StarBright Dyes to antibodies of choice. This expansion increases access to StarBright UltraViolet, Violet, Blue, Yellow, and Red Dyes, simplifying panel design for complex flow cytometry experiments.
By allowing pairing of StarBright Dyes with virtually any compatible antibody, the kits address applications where commercially available antibody–fluorophore combinations are limited, improving flexibility for both industry and academic laboratories. The resulting conjugated antibodies support high-quality flow cytometry data generation, optimized multicolor panels, and consistent performance in immunology research workflows.
What are the key benefits of using StarBright Dyes and TrailBlazer Tag technology for stable antibody conjugation in immunology research?
When used together, Bio-Rad’s TrailBlazer Tag Kit and TrailBlazer StarBright Dye Label Kits employ SpyTag and SpyCatcher technology to achieve site-specific conjugation of a StarBright Dye to an antibody of choice. This approach generates highly stable conjugated antibodies suitable for a wide range of immunology research applications, including multicolor flow cytometry and fluorescent western blot assays.
StarBright Dyes are proprietary fluorescent nanoparticles conjugated to flow-validated antibodies against key immunological targets, offering exceptional brightness, narrow excitation and emission profiles, and minimal lot-to-lot variation. They are compatible with most experimental protocols and flow cytometers, including the ZE5 Cell Analyzer, without special buffers, enabling sensitive, reproducible detection with minimized spillover and spreading in multiplexed panels.
How are Bio-Rad StarBright Dyes optimized for fluorescent western blot imaging with ChemiDoc MP and ChemiDoc Go Imagers?
For fluorescent western blot applications, Bio-Rad’s StarBright Blue 700 and StarBright Blue 520 Dyes are specifically designed to match the configuration of the ChemiDoc MP and ChemiDoc Go Imagers. These StarBright Dyes are labeled to anti-mouse and anti-rabbit secondary antibodies, enabling bright, highly sensitive fluorescent detection with short exposure times. This configuration supports efficient multiplexed detection and clear visualization of protein targets in immunoblotting workflows.
The robust performance of StarBright Dyes, including resistance to photobleaching and no loss of signal following fixation, helps ensure consistent, high-quality fluorescent western blot imaging in demanding experimental settings.
