BD Horizon™ Real Dyes for Flow Cytometry

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Minimize Cross-laser Spillover. Optimize Panel Resolution

BD Horizon RealViolet™, RealBlue™, RealYellow™ and RealRed™ Fluorochromes are engineered to help you push the boundaries of multicolor flow cytometry. These advanced fluorochromes minimize cross-laser spillover and enhance panel resolution, enabling high-quality data and more flexible panel design across both conventional and spectral cytometers. Whether you're expanding existing panels or building new ones, BD Horizon™ Real Dyes give you the clarity and control you need to accelerate discovery.

BD Horizon™ Real Fluorochromes offer:

Reduced spillover: Lower cross-laser excitation allows for cleaner emission profiles, which simplifies panel design and unlocks greater flexibility—giving you high-quality panels.
Excellent resolution of diverse antigen densities: These dyes range from moderate to very bright, giving you the ability to assign fluorochromes where they fit best.
Robust intracellular performance: BD Horizon™ Real Fluorochromes enable analysis of intracellular proteins like cytokines, transcription factors and phosphorylated signaling molecules—providing flexibility in various protocols.
Lot-to-lot consistency and stability: These fluorochromes provide lot-to-lot consistency across made-to-stock and BD OptiBuild™ Reagents, with proven photostability under typical lab lighting—so your results stay accurate and reproducible.

Dye Summary Table

Switch to Cleaner BD Horizon™ Real Dyes

Format	Spectral	Conventional	Spillover (1-low, 4-high)	Alternative To	Products
Violet Laser
RV544	✓	‒	2	Spark™ V538, StarBright™ Violet 535, Pacific Orange, Amethyst Orange, cFluor™ V547, Krome Orange	View
RV828	✓	‒	1	Qdot^™ 800, NovaFluor^™ V800	View
Blue Laser
RB545	✓	‒	1	(Unique position)	View
RB575	✓	✓	1	PE, StarBright™ Blue 580	View
RB613	✓	✓	2	PE-CF594, PE-Dazzle^™ 594, BB630-P2, StarBright^™ Blue 615	View
RB670	✓	✓	2	PE-Cy5, BB660-P2, StarBright^™ Blue 675	View
RB705	✓	✓	2	PerCP-Cy5.5, BB700, StarBright^™ Blue 700	View
RB744	✓	✓	1	BB755-P	View
RB780	✓	✓	1	PE-Cy7, BB790-P	View
RB824	✓	✓	1	PerCP/Fire^™806, StarBright^™Blue 810	View
Yellow-Green Laser
RY586	✓	✓	1	PE	View
RY610	✓	✓	1	PE-CF594, PE-Dazzle^™ 594	View
RY655	✓	✓	3	PE-Cy5, StarBright Yellow 665	View
RY703	✓	✓	2	PE-Cy5.5, StarBright^™ Yellow 720	View
RY743	✓	✓	2	PE/Fire^™ 744	View
RY775	✓	✓	2	PE-Cy7, StarBright^™ Yellow 800	View
Red Laser
RR688	✓	‒	1	Alexa Fluor^™ 660, Spark NIR^™685, NovaFluor^™ R685, cFluor^™ R685	View

Chart contains representative fluorochromes compatible with a 5-laser spectral flow cytometer. Table may differ based on instrument configuration and settings. Spillover ranking is based on cross-laser excitation and does not take into account spillover into adjacent or residual detectors. PE and PE tandem dyes are excited by both the blue and yellow-green lasers. Be sure to check your instrument configuration.

“The RB780 fluorochrome fits very well into the spectral gap of dyes primarily excited by the blue laser and can be separated beautifully from PE-Cy7 on instruments with blue and yellow-green lasers.”

Dr. Florian Ebner

Distinguished Lab Scientist

Cancer Pharmacology and Disease Positioning

“I’m really excited about the BD Horizon RealBlue^™ 780 Dye. The staining we have done so far with Ki-67 and Granzyme B can be seen very clearly, even with high dilutions.”

Johannes Brandi

Researcher

Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine

"BD Horizon RealYellow™ 586 (RY586) Reagents look like the best alternative for PE and will simplify panel design on conventional flow cytometers. They can also be an additional dye for spectral panel design.”

Gert Van Isterdael, PhD

VIB Ghent University, Belgium

"BD Biosciences sat down with Jochen Lamote to discuss his experience as a beta tester of flow cytometry reagents – including how BD Horizon RealBlue™ minimizes spillover and simplifies panel design.

Watch the interview to discover why the team at Vlaams Institute for Biotechnology (VIB) Flow Core would recommend BD Horizon RealBlue™ to their colleagues."

Jochen Lamote

Head of VIB Flow Core

Leuven, Belguim

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the sizes of BD Horizon^™Real Fluorochromes?
The new fluorochromes in this family released to date are all less than 45 kDa.
Are BD Horizon RealViolet^™, RealBlue™, RealYellow^™ and RealRed™ Reagents compatible with viability dyes?
Yes, this family of reagents is compatible with all viability dyes.
Are these fluorochromes based on polymer technology?
These new fluorochromes leverage next-generation proprietary dye technology that is separate from Sirigen^™ polymer technology.
Do Real Reagents need special buffers or handling to prevent dye-to-dye interactions?
No. However, for human whole blood specimens, we recommend using BD Horizon^™ Brilliant Stain Buffer (BSB) to minimize possible background that may be caused by anti-PEG antibodies.
What advantages do BD Horizon RealYellow™ and BD Horizon RealBlue™ Reagent matched pairs provide?
Use BD Horizon RealYellow^™ and BD Horizon RealBlue^™ Reagent pairs together on appropriately equipped instruments with both blue and yellow-green lasers to build larger panels and for added flexibility when designing panels on both conventional and spectral flow cytometers.
Do BD Horizon RealViolet^™, BD Horizon RealBlue^™, RealYellow^™ and RealRed^™ Reagents work on conventional flow cytometers?
Yes, most of the new BD Horizon^™Real dyes work well with existing cytometer configurations. Please ensure you have the appropriate configuration for any new reagent.