Protein characterization services

Western blotting is a widely used technique for protein analysis. Advansta offers complete Western blotting services including protein extraction from tissues or cells, sample clarification, protein quantification, Western blot detection, and data analysis. Our novel Western blotting reagents are used in combination with the Azure Sapphire and Sapphire-FL Imaging Systems for maximum sensitivity and publication quality results.

• Sample Requirements: Cells: ≥1x10⁷; Tissue: ≥30mg
• Sample Protein Concentration: ≥1mg/ml; Protein amount: ≥100µg/sample
• It is recommended to provide positive and negative control samples such as purified protein, overexpression lysates or other commercially available control reagents.

When an ELISA kit does not exist for your target or you want more control over your assay, Advansta's assay development service is the perfect choice. Advansta's immunoassay development service includes the selection of critical reagents, optimization of each reagent, and assay validation. During validation, matrix effects, assay linearity, precision, reproducibility, parallelism, plate uniformity, LOD/LOQ determination and ruggedness are evaluated.

ELISA (Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay) is a widely-used assay for quantification of analytes in a sample, and has long been used as the gold-standard in both clinical and research laboratories. This plate-based immunoassay allows researchers to quantify a specific target of interest using antibodies in a high throughput format. Our typical projects vary from routine outsourced ELISA assays to more sophisticated assay development for various sample types.

Advansta accommodates various basic and custom cell culture techniques. We offer cell expansions with established cell lines supplied by our clients or cell lines purchased from a licensed provider. We also offer PBMC isolation from fresh whole blood. We grow the cells according to customer specifications and check the viability of the cell lines throughout the project using the LUNA-FL™ cell counter, which can distinguish primary cells such as PBMCs, splenocytes, neutrophils, and stem cells from undesirable debris for accurate cell count and viability results.

In-cell Westerns offer the specificity of traditional Western blots with the high-throughput capability of ELISAs and can be used to quantify protein expression levels, post-translational modifications, cell responses to drug candidates, and more. They use antibodies conjugated to fluorophores to quantify protein expression levels inside fixed cells. Data is normalized to total cell numbers using AdvanCell Total Cell Staining Solution.

We offer two options when it comes to providing samples for in-cell Western testing. We can either provide a shipping pack that includes cell culture plates, plate mats and vacuum seal bags, for clients who would like to culture and treat their cells themselves. Alternatively, we can culture and treat your cells in our lab. Simply provide an aliquot of cells and molecules for screening or vectors for transfection and leave the rest to us.

Antibodies and proteins conjugated to fluorophores, biomolecules, or enzymes are essential for both direct and indirect immunoassays. Every immunoassay-based method requires a specific type of conjugate. For example, flow cytometry, immunofluorescently stained slides and fluorescent Westerns require fluorescent conjugated antibodies. Horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-conjugated antibodies are required for maximum sensitivity chemiluminescent Western blots. Advansta uses a proprietary protein conjugation chemistry to produce conjugates with maximum biological activity and high sensitivity.

Contact us today

Contact us today to discuss your project and how our unique solutions can advance your research. service@advansta.com