BlockAid™ Blocking Solution (Invitrogen™)

BlockAid™ Blocking Solution is superior to commonly used blocking reagents such as bovine serum albumin, normal serum, or casein for use with cells or tissue sections. It is an optimized mix of protein-blocking components, with no dilution required. BlockAid™ Blocking Solution can be used as the initial blocking reagent before primary antibody is applied to minimize non-specific antibody binding, and as a diluent for both the primary and secondary antibody. This reagent is appropriate for cell or tissue immunofluorescence applications. It has also been validated for use with streptavidin conjugates and microsphere-protein conjugates.

Important Features of BlockAid™ Blocking Solution:

• Excellent background reduction—superior to conventional blocking solutions

• Ready to use—no dilution or stock preparation required

• Versatile—use with any primary or secondary antibody, streptavidin conjugate, microsphere protein conjugates, or Qdot™ conjugates

Minimizing background from non-specific protein binding of antibodies is essential for improved sensitivity and maximum signal-to-background ratios. This is especially crucial when looking for low-expressing antigens, when using samples with high autofluorescence, or for techniques where signals are inherently dim (such as use of directly-labeled primary antibodies or use of super-resolution imaging).