In Vitro Diagnostic Products
*Samples not available for some products.
The product formulations are trade secrets; therefore, we cannot disclose any of the proprietary ingredients. Please refer to the generic description of each product.
Yes!
Generally no, but always test first to ensure compatibility with your assay. If StabilZyme HRP Conjugate Stabilizer shows interference in competitive assays, we recommend trying StabilZyme SELECT or StabilZyme NOBLE (BSA-Free) Stabilizers.
None of our stabilization products require refrigeration during transit, and are shipped under ambient conditions. The shelf life studies at room temperature support this. In addition, the products have historically been shipped under these conditions with no adverse effects in product shelf-life, quality, or performance.
Yes. We recommend the following:
SurModics tests for the presence of alkaline phosphatase and peroxidase in BSA used in some of the Stabilization Products.
StabilCoat Immunoassay Stabilizer, StabilZyme HRP and AP Conjugate Stabilizers, and StabilZyme SELECT Stabilizer contain less than 10 grams per liter of a bovine-derived serum protein. Our suppliers of this component certify that the bovine plasma from which it was purified was collected entirely from domestic animals in abattoirs regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture. All abattoirs are located in the United States. Furthermore, the animals from which the plasma was derived received ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection at the time of slaughter and appeared to be free from infectious and contagious diseases and injurious parasites. The United States Department of Agriculture considers the United States to be free from Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE). These products do not contain and are not derived from any Specified Risk Materials as defined as the following: the skull, including the brain, eyes, tonsils and spinal cord of: bovine animals aged over 12 months, or ovine and caprine animals which are aged over 12 months or have permanent incisor tooth erupted through the gum.
Yes. Get your copy of our BSA Certificate of Origin (PDF).
We recommend using the stabilizers undiluted for maximum stabilization. However, in cases where you feel it may be necessary to dilute the products (i.e., in membrane assay or strip tests) please use the following diluents:
NOTE: If a phosphate buffer is used, we recommend a final concentration of no more than 5 mM buffer to avoid the possibility of initiating precipitation.
We do not recommend using phenol red with the StabilZyme stabilizers as it may cause interference.
Yes, as long as it is removed before the detection step.
No preservatives are added to StabilCoat & 5X StabilCoat Stabilizers or to StabilGuard Stabilizer. If you would like to add a preservative to either of these products, we recommend using ProClin™ at the manufacturer's recommended use concentration.
Micr-O-Protect, a mixture of bromonitrodioxane and methylistothiazolone, is added to the following Stabilization Products:
StabilCoat Plus Microarray Stabilizer
StabilGuard Choice Microarray Stabilizer (BSA-Free)
StabilZyme AP Conjugate Stabilizer
StabilZyme HRP Conjugate Stabilizer
StabilZyme SELECT Stabilizer
StabilZyme NOBLE Stabilizer (BSA-Free)
The preservative is a mixture of bromonitrodioxane and methylisothiazolone (Micr-O-Protect).
An antimicrobial is used in the formulation of SurModics stabilization products to preserve their biological integrity. We do not make any further claims for antimicrobial efficacy once the product is in use. During development of the products, Antimicrobial Preservative Effectiveness was performed. A summary of the results may be requested from Customer Service.
Tell me more about the antimicrobial (Microprotect) product (PDF). The second page outlines recommended concentrations; the antimicrobial concentration of the StabilZyme products (and StabilCoat Plus and StabilGuard Choice Stabilizers) is at 0.2%. Be sure that you do not dilute the stabilizers to a point below the low end of the antimicrobial's efficacy.
Yes. You may use a concentration of 0.01-0.05%.
Sodium azide interferes with horseradish peroxidase (HRP). However, since the preservative is most likely washed out after blocking or during the assay, this should not be a concern. Of course, this should be tested in your system to ensure desired results.
All SurModics Stabilization Products are manufactured per ISO 13485 (PDF)standards under stringent controls to ensure lot-to-lot consistency and complete lot traceability. The raw material components of each lot are proprietary; however, be assured that each component is fully qualified before release to the manufacturing floor. All manufacturing materials are quarantined until required testing and inspection have been performed and acceptance criteria have been met. For each lot, final quality control testing confirms that the lot meets pre-defined product specifications for proprietary components, physical characteristics, and performance.
Tell me more about the ISO 9001 (PDF) and ISO 13485 (PDF) Certifications.
StabilCoat Immunoassay Stabilizer and the StabilZyme AP and HRP Conjugate Stabilizers, and StabilZyme SELECT Stabilizer contain less than 10 grams per liter of a bovine-derived serum protein. Our suppliers of this component certify that the bovine plasma from which it was purified was collected entirely from domestic animals in abattoirs regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture. All abattoirs are located in the United States. Furthermore, the animals from which the plasma was derived received ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection at the time of slaughter and appeared to be free from infectious and contagious diseases and injurious parasites. The United States Department of Agriculture considers the United States to be free from Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE). These products do not contain and are not derived from any Specified Risk Materials as defined as the following: the skull, including the brain, eyes, tonsils and spinal cord of: bovine animals aged over 12 months, or ovine and caprine animals which are aged over 12 months or have permanent incisor tooth erupted through the gum.
Learn more about our BSA Certificate of Origin (PDF).
The optimal storage temperature for the Stabilization Products is 2-8°C; however, storage at room temperature will not affect product performance.
Please note that Stabilization Products are shipped to customers at ambient temperature. However, extensive stability studies show that prolonged storage at ambient temperature will not affect the product quality or efficacy.
|
StabilCoat Immunoassay Stabilizer |
36 months |
|
5X StabilCoat Immunoassay Stabilizer |
24 months |
|
StabilCoat Plus Microarray Stabilizer |
24 months |
|
StabilGuard Biomolecule Stabilizer (BSA-Free) |
36 months |
|
StabilGuard Choice Microarray Stabilizer (BSA-Free) |
36 months |
|
StabilZyme AP Conjugate Stabilizer |
30 months |
|
StabilZyme HRP Conjugate Stabilizer |
30 months |
|
StabilZyme SELECT Stabilizer |
30 months |
|
StabilZyme NOBLE Stabilizer (BSA-Free) |
30 months |
Learn more about the properties of all SurModics Stabilization Products (PDF).
Both products maintain the conformation and biological activity of dried protein components in immunoassays. StabilCoat has a protein component, but StabilGuard contains no animal-source protein, eliminating the possibility of test interference or cross reactivity.
Note: StabilGuard is a very effective blocker and stabilizer. When working with adsorbed proteins, if allowed to stay in the well too long, StabilGuard can begin to desorb the protein coating. Therefore, customers should take into consideration how long they block. Diluting the StabilGuard 1:2 or even 1:4 is an option (do not dilute any more than 1:4).
Dry plates quickly to ensure optimum stabilization. We recommend drying at 20% humidity and using moisture-proof packaging.
StabilCoat Immunoassay and StabilGuard Biomolecule Stabilizers maintain the activity of antibodies, enzymes, and antigens in the dry state, e.g., used in ELISAs. StabilCoat Plus and StabilGuard Choice Stabilizers provide optimum performance for both microsphere and protein microarray applications. In addition, both StabilCoat Plus and StabilGuard Choice contain an azide- and mercury-free preservative that is a mixture of bromonitrodioxane and methylisothiazolone.
StabilGuard and StabilGuard Choice do not have bovine protein in their formulation. If you are currently using StabilCoat Immunoassay Stabilizer or StabilGuard Biomolecule Stabilizer for dry stabilization, there is no need to change to StabilCoat Plus or StabilGuard Choice Stabilizers.
|
StabilCoat Stabilizer |
36 months |
|
5X StabilCoat & StabilCoat Plus |
24 months |
|
StabilGuard & StabilGuard Choice |
36 months |
Real-time studies indicate that a shelf life of 30 months at room temperature is achievable. Studies were based on a goat anti-rabbit IgG antibody.
We recommend using the stabilizers undiluted for maximum stabilization. However, in cases where you feel it may be necessary to dilute the products, StabilCoat and StabilGuard Stabilizers can be diluted in deionized water or PBS.
StabilCoat absorbs at 340 nm at use concentration, the same wavelength at which alcohol dehydrogenase absorbs. Therefore, dilution of the StabilCoat (1:1) in deionized water or PBS may resolve this problem.
Turbidity in StabilCoat or StabilGuard is usually the result of contamination since the products have no preservative. If you are not aseptically aliquoting, we recommend you add a preservative, e.g., Proclin.
High background can be caused by the drying technique: It is very important that the antibodies do not dry to the surface of the substrate before StabilCoat or StabilGuard Stabilizer is added as it will cause a loss of activity. After incubation and aspiration of StabilCoat or StabilGuard, the antibodies should be completely dried. The faster the drying time, the better. We recommend using a humidity-controlled (less than 15% humidity) incubator for 4 to 24 hours, or drying the antibodies in a dry vacuum oven for 4 hours at 30°C. If an incubator or vacuum oven is not available, the antibodies can be dried in a sealed, desiccated container, such as an airtight plastic container, jar, or plastic bag containing calcium sulfate or silica gel desiccant for 2 to 24 hours. It is also important to store the dried proteins in airtight containers with desiccant to prevent moisture from getting into the product. Anything that reduces the drying time can greatly improve the stability and activity of the antigen. Studies were conducted that compared drying times and humidity levels and results demonstrated these to be the two most critical factors in maintaining antibody stability. Extended drying times at higher humidity levels can result in a significant loss of coated antibody activity.
We recommend drying at 20% humidity or less for the best stability. Drying at room temperature is acceptable, although this may increase drying time and result in a slight loss of activity unless the humidity is below 20%. The faster the plates are dried, the better the retained activity will be. We recommend using an airtight container filled with desiccant for plate drying. Once dried, the plates should be sealed and stored in an air tight container with desiccant.
No. All of the StabilZyme products are designed to stabilize biologically active components in solution.
We recommend using the StabilCoat Immunoassay Stabilizer for this purpose. The customer should NOT use the StabilGuard Biomolecule Stabilizerósome of the components in the product may result in a "gelling" or "gooey" substance when the lyophilized material is thawed.
Read the product information sheets for SurModics Microarray stabilizers:
StabilCoat Plus Microarray Stabilizer (PDF); or
StabilGuard Choice Microarray Stabilizer (PDF)
Magnetic beads can be more challenging to maintain monodispersity. We recommend using StabilCoat Plus Stabilizer. If aggregation is a problem, the addition of 0.05% Tween 20 may help.
Learn more about StabilCoat Plus Microarray Stabilizers.
We recommend trying StabilGuard Choice Microarray Stabilizer for stabilizing DNA. You may want to try it at 100% concentration, as well as at a 1:2 dilution (using deionized water).
StabilZyme HRP contains components that increase enzyme activity. While this is beneficial in some assays, it causes interference in others, such as competitive assays.
StabilZyme SELECT was developed to provide stabilization comparable to that of StabilZyme HRP, but without increasing enzyme activity that can interfere with the standard curve in competitive assays. StabilZyme SELECT is also recommended for direct or sandwich assays where background is a problem.
StabilZyme NOBLE is a BSA-free alternative to StabilZyme SELECT. It is designed to be used for conjugated proteins, antibody-coated particles, and unmodified proteins in solution.
All StabilZyme stabilizers have a shelf life of 30 months when stored at 4°C. Testing was performed on StabilZyme stabilizers with no conjugate added. Products were stored at 37°C and 4°C, and then tested for retained activity after multiple time points up to 30 months. Studies were based on a goat anti-rabbit IgG antibody.
Real-time studies indicate that a shelf life of 24 months at room temperature is achievable.
We recommend using the stabilizers undiluted for maximum stabilization. However, in cases where you feel it may be necessary to dilute the products (e.g., 1:1) please use the following diluents:
NOTE: Phosphate buffers cause precipitation in the StabilZyme products when used at >10% total volume.
Yes.
In some cases, StabilZyme HRP stabilizer increases the signal of the conjugate. If this happens, we recommend trying StabilZyme SELECT, or StabilZyme NOBLE Stabilizer.
Our standard ELISA uses a 1:3000 dilution of the conjugate in StabilZyme AP. We recommend diluting your AP conjugate at your normal use concentration first. You may consider trying a small accelerated study to determine that you are getting the stability you need. In our experience, we have found that there can be a large difference in AP conjugate quality and stability depending upon the supplier.
Our standard ELISA uses a 1:10,000 dilution of the conjugate in StabilZyme HRP, SELECT, and NOBLE stabilizers. We recommend you first try diluting the HRP conjugate to your normal use concentration. You may consider a small accelerated study to determine that you are getting the stability you need.
Freeze-drying proteins with the StabilZyme products is not recommended.
Yes. We recommend StabilZyme SELECT and NOBLE stabilizers for stabilizing serum controls.
We recommend using StabilZyme HRP Conjugate Stabilizer.
Try adding 10% glycerol to the StabilZyme AP Conjugate Stabilizer prior to diluting your conjugate.
You can try mixing StabilZyme AP Conjugate Stabilizer and StabilZyme SELECT Stabilizer together at a 1:1 ratio.
For gold conjugates in the dry state, StabilCoat should be used. A very small amount of Triton X-100 or other suitable surfactant should be added (start at 0.01% Triton X-100). The quicker you can dry the conjugate, the better.
Yes. Both StabilZyme SELECT and StabilZyme NOBLE Stabilizers have been used successfully by our customers to stabilize serum controls.