Overview
Single-color antibodies are fluorochrome-conjugated antibodies that bind specific antigens, enabling the identification and characterization of distinct cell populations by flow cytometry. Our portfolio of Research Use Only (RUO) single-color antibodies offers extensive target and format options, providing the flexibility needed to build both conventional and spectral flow cytometry panels. Designed for reliable performance and high-quality results, these antibodies support a broad range of research applications across immunology, oncology, stem cell and other research fields.
Choose the Right Single-Color Antibody
Assess these four factors to understand which single-color antibody is the right choice for your research application and needs.
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Target
Start by selecting an antibody clone validated for your target antigen, species and application. Antibody clones can differ in epitope recognition, binding affinity, sensitivity and background staining, which can impact data quality and analysis. The BD Clone Comparison Tool can help you evaluate and compare clone options. -
Fluorochrome brightness
Match fluorochrome brightness to antigen expression level. Bright fluorochromes are typically best suited for low-density markers, while dimmer fluorochromes are often appropriate for highly expressed antigens. Strategic fluorochrome assignment helps maximize resolution and overall panel performance. -
Spillover
Choose fluorochromes that minimize spectral overlap with other dyes in your panel. Reducing spillover can improve the resolution of co-expressed markers and enhance overall panel performance. BD Horizon™ Real Dyes are engineered to reduce cross-laser spillover, helping improve panel performance and the detection of critical populations. -
Instrument
Ensure your selected fluorochromes are compatible with your flow cytometer's laser and detector configuration. Use BD® Spectrum Viewer to determine this.
Browse Fluorochrome Families
Choosing the right fluorochromes is critical for building high-performing flow cytometry panels. BD single-color antibodies span multiple fluorochrome families across major laser lines, allowing you to select the best dyes for your research goals and application requirements.
BD Horizon™ Real Dyes
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
BD Horizon Brilliant™ Dyes
BD Horizon Brilliant™ Dyes use patented chemistries derived from Nobel Prize-winning research on conductive polymers to provide very bright emission for UV, violet and blue lasers, helping you resolve your populations of interest.
Legacy Dyes
Classic fluorochromes such as FITC, PE, PerCP, APC and PE tandems offer widely compatible, well-characterized dyes covering a range of antigen expression levels.
Alexa Fluor™ Dyes provide stable, high‑performance fluorochromes with broad spectral coverage and good fixation compatibility, making them reliable choices for surface and intracellular assays.
BD Horizon™ Dyes such as V450, V500 and R718 provide additional spectral and brightness options for multicolor panel design. Their unique emission profiles help expand marker choices, improve panel flexibility, and support optimal resolution of cell populations across conventional and spectral flow cytometers.
Why Use BD Single-Color Antibodies?
We offer one of the industry's most comprehensive portfolios of single-color antibodies for flow cytometry research. Built on trusted clones, rigorous quality standards and a broad selection of fluorochromes, our portfolio helps you generate reliable data and progress your research with confidence.
- Validated antibodies for reproducible performance
Extensive validation and rigorous quality control help ensure consistent performance across lots and experiments. Our commitment to reagent quality supports reproducible results and reduces the time spent troubleshooting antibody performance, so you can focus on your science.
- Fluorochrome flexibility for panel optimization
Choose from a wide range of fluorochrome families, including classic dyes, BD Horizon Brilliant™ Dyes, BD Horizon™ Real Dyes and other BD Horizon™ Fluorochromes. This breadth of options enables you to optimize marker resolution, manage spillover and build panels tailored to your instrument and application.
- Broad portfolio
Access thousands of antibody specificities spanning immunology, oncology, stem cell biology, cell therapy, infectious disease research and other scientific disciplines. Multiple clone and fluorochrome combinations help you select the best reagent for your experimental needs.
Browse the portfolio
Our single-color antibody catalogue is easy to search, with available filters such as specificity, clone, conjugate/format and more to help you find the right antibody for your needs.
FAQs
- What is a single-color antibody?
Single-color antibodies are antibodies conjugated to a fluorochrome. You can use them in multicolor flow cytometry panels, with each target labeled by a different fluorochrome, allowing for cell analysis. These antibodies are also used as single-color controls for creating a compensation / spectral unmixing matrix.
- What does the regulatory status “RUO” stand for on a flow cytometry antibody?
RUO is an acronym that stands for “Research Use Only.” It is used to label reagents that are not certified for use in clinical diagnostics, and any reagent marked RUO is intended for research use only and not for use in diagnostic or therapeutic procedures.
- How do I select the right antibody clone for my flow cytometry panel?Select antibody clones based on demonstrated specificity, staining performance and compatibility with your assay conditions, including sample type, fixation/permeabilization workflow and instrument configuration. For critical markers, evaluating multiple clones can help identify the best balance of population resolution, background staining and overall panel performance.
- Are BD RUO single-color antibodies compatible with spectral flow cytometry?
Yes. All our single-color antibodies for multicolor panel analysis can be used in conventional and spectral flow cytometry instruments. You can check the reference spectra for BD fluorochromes in the BD® Spectrum Viewer.
Additional Resources and Tools
This interactive tool supports fluorochrome selection, choosing filters and assessing potential spillover when designing flow cytometry panels.
Panel Design Resource Center
The Panel Design Resource Center provides guidance for building multicolor panels through videos and other educational resources.
Clone Comparison Tool
A tool for side-by-side comparison of antibody clones against the same antigen. Quickly review scientific details, qualified applications and available formats to select the best antibody clone for your experiments. Choose from available antigens and fluorochromes in our catalog.
Interactive Human Cell Map
An interactive guide to the protein signatures that define human immune cells. This tool also showcases a collection of preoptimized panels that can be used to study populations of interest. This simple-to-use tool can help you identify your population of interest efficiently, learn about defining markers and assess the performance of preoptimized multicolor panels useful for characterizing populations of interest.
Panel Repository
Search for relevant panels by name, or filter panels using parameters including instrument configuration, panel type and number of parameters.
BD® Research Cloud
Use the Reagent Selector tool inside BD® Research Cloud (BD RC) to guide you through the flow cytometry panel design process. You can use your own cytometer configuration, utilize the BD reagent catalog and define custom reagents, pre-defined and custom populations and then assign fluors to your markers. From designing panels to analyzing data, BD RC is a comprehensive ecosystem for research flow cytometry experiments.
For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic or therapeutic procedures.