Bio-Rad Introduces New Range of StarBright Dyes to Advance Spectral Flow Cytometry Panel Design in Immunology Research
Bio-Rad Laboratories, a global leader in life science research and clinical diagnostics, has announced a significant expansion of its StarBright Dye portfolio with the introduction of a new range designed specifically for spectral flow cytometry. The launch begins with the release of StarBright UltraViolet700 (SBUV700), the first in the series, which is now available to researchers. Additional dyes in this range are scheduled for rollout in the coming months, providing scientists with an expanded toolkit for complex immunology applications.
The new StarBright Dyes are conjugated to a comprehensive set of highly validated immunology antibodies, covering 46 key markers frequently analyzed in common immunological samples. Among these, 13 markers are entirely new additions, expanding detection capabilities for a broader range of cell populations and immune system functions. This expansion reflects Bio-Rad’s ongoing commitment to developing innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of the research community, particularly in areas requiring high-parameter analysis.
Purpose-Built for Spectral Flow Cytometry
Spectral flow cytometry has become a transformative tool in immunology, enabling the simultaneous detection of dozens of parameters within a single sample. Unlike conventional flow cytometry, which separates emitted light into discrete channels, spectral flow cytometry captures the complete fluorescence emission spectrum for each event. This approach allows for greater flexibility in fluorophore selection, improved resolution of closely overlapping emission spectra, and the creation of larger, more complex panels.
Bio-Rad’s new StarBright Dye series has been engineered specifically for this platform, ensuring optimal performance in multiplex experiments. Each dye in the series features unique spectral properties and maximal emission peaks that minimize spectral overlap. This, in turn, reduces compensation requirements and improves the separation of individual signals—a key advantage when working with panels involving dozens of fluorophores.
Brightness and Performance Advantages
A defining feature of the StarBright Dye range is its exceptional brightness. Brightness is a critical factor in detecting low-abundance antigens, particularly in heterogeneous or rare cell populations. These dyes also have narrow excitation and emission profiles, which reduce spillover into adjacent detectors and contribute to higher resolution and clearer data.
This precision in emission profiles allows researchers to design more efficient panels with reduced “spreading error,” a phenomenon in which spectral overlap reduces the distinction between markers. In complex immunology experiments—such as identifying rare immune cell subsets, tracking activation states, or mapping immune responses—minimizing spreading is crucial to maintaining analytical accuracy.
Flexible Integration with Existing Workflows
The new StarBright Dyes are fully compatible with the Bio-Rad ZE5 Cell Analyzer, one of the company’s flagship flow cytometry platforms. The ZE5 features five lasers and 30 detectors, making it ideally suited for high-parameter, multi-color flow cytometry. However, Bio-Rad has ensured that the dyes are also compatible with most other commercially available flow cytometers, cell sorters, and spectral instruments. This cross-platform compatibility means that researchers do not need to overhaul existing workflows to take advantage of the new dyes.
Additionally, the dyes can be incorporated into both new and existing experimental designs. Whether a laboratory is building a fresh spectral panel from the ground up or expanding an established panel to include additional markers, StarBright Dyes provide the flexibility to adapt without compromising data quality.
Applications in Immunology Research
The expanded StarBright range addresses a wide array of applications in immunology and related life science disciplines. Flow cytometry remains one of the most widely used technologies for analyzing the immune system, allowing scientists to measure cell surface and intracellular markers, quantify functional states, and identify rare populations.
Potential applications for the new StarBright dyes include:
- Immune profiling in health and disease – Mapping immune cell composition in healthy individuals or patients with autoimmune disorders, infectious diseases, or cancers.
- Vaccine development and monitoring – Evaluating immune responses to candidate vaccines or approved immunizations.
- Cancer immunotherapy research – Tracking the activation, exhaustion, or suppression of T cells and other immune cells in tumor microenvironments.
- Stem cell and regenerative medicine studies – Monitoring immune compatibility and inflammatory responses.
- Basic immunology investigations – Exploring signaling pathways, receptor expression, and immune cell development.
The inclusion of 13 new markers within the antibody-conjugated StarBright range also opens new investigative possibilities. By enabling the detection of additional immune cell subsets or functional markers, these dyes help researchers gain a more nuanced understanding of immune system dynamics.
Expanding Beyond 30 Dyes
The launch of SBUV700 marks an important milestone in Bio-Rad’s ongoing expansion of the StarBright Dye portfolio. As Hilary Mavor, Marketing Director of the Life Science Group at Bio-Rad Laboratories, explained:
We continue to expand our StarBright Dye range of fluorescent markers for flow cytometry, which now includes over 30 dyes. The new range, beginning with the launch of the StarBright UltraViolet700 Dye, provides our customers with greater options when designing spectral flow cytometry panels, allowing for novel dye combinations and the creation of larger multicolor panels of increased complexity.”
With each expansion, Bio-Rad strengthens its position as a comprehensive provider of reagents for high-parameter flow cytometry. The company’s portfolio now covers a wide range of emission wavelengths, from ultraviolet to far-red, giving researchers greater freedom to match dyes to available laser lines and detector configurations.
Enabling Larger, More Complex Panels
One of the key challenges in high-parameter immunophenotyping is the design of panels that maximize the number of detectable markers without introducing excessive noise or data complexity. The unique properties of the StarBright dyes allow researchers to push the boundaries of what is possible in panel design.
By leveraging dyes with non-overlapping emission profiles and high brightness, scientists can build multicolor panels containing dozens of markers. These panels can reveal highly detailed immune landscapes, which are essential in cutting-edge fields such as:
- Systems immunology
- Tumor microenvironment mapping
- Infectious disease monitoring
- Autoimmune disease stratification
For spectral flow cytometry users, the ability to incorporate new dyes that do not significantly interfere with existing fluorophores is a major advantage. It enables researchers to layer new markers onto established panels without the need to redesign entire workflows.
Commitment to Supporting the Research Community
Bio-Rad has a long history of serving the global life science research community, providing reagents, instruments, and software solutions that enable discoveries in molecular biology, cell biology, proteomics, and clinical diagnostics. The expansion of the StarBright Dye range builds on this legacy, offering practical, high-performance solutions for researchers tackling increasingly complex biological questions.
The company’s emphasis on antibody validation ensures that the StarBright Dyes deliver reproducible and reliable results. By pairing dyes with antibodies that have been rigorously tested for specificity and performance in flow cytometry applications, Bio-Rad aims to remove variability and uncertainty from the experimental process.
