"Excellent dye for far-red spectrum."

PRODUCT:                  DRAQ7

Application Area:        Flow Cytometry

Ease of Use:              ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

After Sales Service:    Not required

Value for Money:        ⭐⭐⭐
Average rating:           4.0

Comments: Works perfect for flow cytometry.

Name: Jaromír Vašíček

Organisation: NPPC-RIAP Nitra, Slovensko

.........................................

Manufacturer's response: Dear Jaromir, thank you for posting a review on DRAQ7.  We are delighted that you got the results you expected from it in your research work on improving ovine fertilization efficiency.

"DRAQ5 detects DNA in platelets"

PRODUCT:                  DRAQ5

Application Area:        Immunofluorescence microscopy

Ease of Use:              ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

After Sales Service:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Value for Money:        ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Average rating:           5.0

Comments: I’ve been really pleased with DRAQ5 and have found it both reliable and easy to work with. I’ve used it for flow cytometry and immunofluorescence microscopy, and even when detecting very small amounts of DNA (in platelets!) it was sensitive enough to give clear, consistent results. It’s straightforward to use, works well across different applications, and is also very reasonably priced - overall, a great reagent that I’d highly recommend.

Name: Lauren Murphy

Organisation: University of Oxford, United Kingdom

.........................................

Manufacturer's response: Dear Lauren, thank you for your review of DRAQ5.  Even after 25 years here's a novel application where you are pushing the boundaries by detecting such small quantities of DNA in platelets!

"DRAQ5"

PRODUCT:                  DRAQ5

Application Area:        Immunofluorescence microscopy

Ease of Use:              ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

After Sales Service:    Not required

Value for Money:        ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Average rating:           4.5

Comments: DRAQ5 was used for live imaging of tumor tissue or cells with confocal microscope. It is a stable dye and not very toxic. It works well for our live imaging

Name: Meng Dong

Organisation: Dr. Margarete Fischer-Bosch Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Germany

.........................................

Manufacturer's response: Dear Meng, thank you for your review of DRAQ5.  We appreciated the protocol you have developed to better recapitulate MCL biology in a 3D culture.  Thiel, et al. JoVE 223 (2025): e68417.

"Assay for Measuring Viability in presence of AP and PA by DRAQ7TM staining"

PRODUCT:                 DRAQ7

Application Area:        Flow Cytometry

Ease of Use:              ⭐⭐⭐⭐

After Sales Service:    Not required

Value for Money:        ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Average rating:           4.0

Comments: To test the effects APPA (10 µg/ml), AP (2.3 and 10 µg/ml) and PA (7.7 and 10 µg/ml) on T/C28a2 chondrocyte viability, DRAQ7TM (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA) was used. Following 24 hours (h) of different treatments, cells were trypsinized and centrifuged at 1,500 rpm for 10 minutes (min). The harvested cells were suspended in 3 µM of the fluorescent dye DRAQ7TM (Thermo Fisher) and incubated in the dark, at room temperature (rt) for 10 min. The samples were run on CytoFLeX flow cytometer (Beckman Coulter Inc. Pasadena, Ca, USA). At least 1x104 cells per assay were measured. Data were analyzed using CyExpert V 2.5 software (Beckman Coulter Inc). Positive control cells were treated with 5 µM Eto plus 10 ng/µl OSM while negative control (Basal) represented cells without treatment.

Name: Mercedes Fernández Moreno

Organisation: INIBIC-GIR, Spain

.........................................

Manufacturer's response: Dear Mercedes, thank you for your review of DRAQ7.  We very much enjoyed your article, and the promising results to support further research on a pair of plant-derived phenolics to mitigate the impact of osteoarthritis. Fernández-Moreno, et al. Pharmaceuticals 18.9 (2025): 1386.

"Versatile and Reliable Nuclear Stain for FACS and Confocal Imaging"

PRODUCT:                  DRAQ5

Application Area:        Cell Sorting

Ease of Use:              ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

After Sales Service:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Value for Money:        ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Average rating:           4.7

Comments: We used Invitrogen™ eBioscience™ DRAQ5™ primarily as a far-red nuclear stain for both flow cytometry (FACS) and confocal microscopy applications. In flow cytometry, DRAQ5 provided rapid and uniform nuclear staining, enabling accurate discrimination of nucleated cells from debris. Its far-red emission allowed us to combine it with commonly used fluorophores such as FITC, PE, and APC, without significant spectral overlap, thus expanding our multicolor panel design.

For cell sorting, DRAQ5 proved particularly useful in identifying nucleated versus enucleated cells and facilitated precise gating strategies. The dye’s rapid uptake, even without permeabilization, made it highly suitable for live-cell analysis and sorting with minimal sample preparation.

In confocal microscopy, DRAQ5 provided sharp, high-contrast nuclear labeling with minimal photobleaching. Its far-red excitation minimized phototoxicity and avoided interference with green and red fluorophores, allowing us to perform multiplexed imaging of protein markers in both fixed and live-cell conditions.

Overall, DRAQ5 performed robustly across both platforms, delivering reproducible results and consistent staining quality. We selected it for its spectral properties, ease of integration into FACS workflows, and compatibility with confocal imaging, and it has become a reliable part of our staining toolkit.

Name: Rizwanul Haque

Organisation: Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

.........................................

Manufacturer's response: Dear Rizwanul, thank you so much for this comprehensive description of the rationale for your choice of DRAQ5.  As you rightly say this is one tool in a very big toolbox!

"DraQ5 used as nuclei staining in CK1alpha deficient megakaryocytes"

PRODUCT:                  DRAQ5

Application Area:        Immunofluorescence microscopy

Ease of Use:              ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

After Sales Service:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Value for Money:        ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Average rating:           4.7

Comments: DraQ5 was used in a 1:1000 dilution for immunofluorescence staining of murine megakaryocytes to highlight and perfectly display the polyploidal nuclei lobulations within the megakaryocytes. 2D as well as 3D rendered images were aquired and evaluated.

Name: Ferdinand Kollotzek

Organisation: Department of Cardiology and Angiology, Tübingen

.........................................

Manufacturer's response: Dear Ferdinand, thank you for the generous review of DRAQ5.  We are always fascinated by cells like MKs which undergo such dramatic terminal differentiation to platelets!

"The product has proven itself in confocal microscopy"

PRODUCT:                  DRAQ5

Application Area:        Immunofluorescence microscopy

Ease of Use:              ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

After Sales Service:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Value for Money:        ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Average rating:           4.7

Comments: DRAQ5 was used in confocal microscopy. The dye worked well. The results were of high quality.

Name: KLIMOVA ELENA

Organisation: V.N. Karazin Kharkov National University, Ukraine

.........................................

Manufacturer's response: Dear Elena, thank you so much for taking the time to provide a review of DRAQ5.

"Easy to use and strong signal"

PRODUCT:                  DRAQ7

Application Area:        High Content / Phenotypic Screening

Ease of Use:              ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

After Sales Service:    Not required

Value for Money:        ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Average rating:           4.5

Comments: I use DRAQ7 to monitor cell death by high content imaging. The signal is strong with very low background, which makes it easy to find a threshold value for cell counting.

Name: Frédéric Catez

Organisation: Cancer Research Center of Lyon, France

.........................................

Manufacturer's response: Dear Frédéric, thank you for taking the time to review DRAQ7!  You make an important technical comment about the rationale for DRAQ7 in assays on automated high content platforms such as Revvity's Opera Phenix.

"Nuclei FACs sorting"

PRODUCT:                  DRAQ5

Application Area:        Cell Sorting

Ease of Use:              ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

After Sales Service:    Not required

Value for Money:        ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Average rating:           5.0

Comments:

Name: Shirin Schneeberger

Organisation: Charite, Germany

Nuclei of mouse spleen cells were stained with Draq5 dye (1:500) (Abcam, Cambridge, UK) and slides were mounted into ProLong ®Gold Antifade Reagent (Cell Signaling Technology, MA, USA).

PRODUCT:                  DRAQ5

Application Area:        Immunofluorescence microscopy

Ease of Use:              ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

After Sales Service:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Value for Money:        ⭐⭐⭐
Average rating:           4.3

Comments: To our experience, the best staining was achieved when dye Draq5 was added to cells together with the fluorescent secondary antibody  and incubated at least 1 hr at room temperature.

Name: Gabriela Hrčková

Organisation: Anon., Slovakia

.........................................

Manufacturer's response: Dear Gabriela, thank you for your technical feedback on the use of DRAQ5 in immunofluorescence methods - combining antibodies and DRAQ5 is a nice way to streamline a procedure. 

"DRAQ5 for confocal imaging"

PRODUCT:                  DRAQ5

Application Area:        Confocal Imaging

Ease of Use:              ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

After Sales Service:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Value for Money:        ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Average rating:           4.3

Comments: DRAQ5 was used for nucleus staining in our study. 

Performance: Great 

Easy to handle

Name: Savita Choudhary

Organisation: BITS Pilani Hyderabad Campus

"A Convenient Staining Solution for Phenotypic Screening"

PRODUCT:                  CyTRAK Orange

Application Area:        High Content / Phenotypic Screening

Ease of Use:              ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

After Sales Service:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Value for Money:        ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Average rating:           4.7

Comments: We used CyTRAK Orange to stain cultured cells in a phenotypic screening of small-molecule compounds. This dye enabled clear and simultaneous distinction between the nucleus and cytoplasm with a single staining step, consistently delivering reliable results. In our imaging-based phenotypic analysis, CyTRAK Orange significantly simplified image processing compared to dyes that stain only the nucleus, as it provided precise spatial information on both the cytoplasm and nucleus within fluorescent images. Overall, CyTRAK Orange proved to be a convenient and dependable staining solution, making it an invaluable tool in our research.

Name: Junichi Sawada

Organisation: University of Shizuoka, Japan

.........................................

Manufacturer's response: Dear Junichi -san, Thank you for this generous review of CyTRAK Orange.  You have cleverly maximised the information that can be extracted from your cell-based assay and its seems CyTRAK Orange played a useful part in that!

"good lipid stain"

PRODUCT:                 DRAQ9
Application Area:        Short-term membrane staining

Ease of Use:              ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
After Sales Service:   ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Value for Money:        ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Average rating:           5.0

Comments:                 DRAQ9 was a gift from BioStatus. We used it to determine if the vacuoles that we were observing in mammalian cells under hypotonic stress are surrounded by a lipid membrane. DiI that we tried before failed to stain the vacuoles, but with DRAQ9 the result was unequivocally positive: a bright staining was easily detectable under a confocal microscope. The presence of lipid was confirmed with Nile Red. We published the image in Fig. 5 of https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-79815-z.pdf

Name: Michael Model

Organisation: Kent State University

"very good and easy to work with"

PRODUCT:  DRAQ7
Application Area:  Biochemistry

Ease of Use:	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5.0)
After Sales Service:	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5.0)
Value for Money:	⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.0)
Average Rating:	4.7

Comments:  Very good and easy to work with. We use it in almost all projects in our lab.

Name: Rodrigo Oliveira
Organisation: Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Odontologia de Bauru
Review Date: 28 Nov 2024

---

"easy and useful"

PRODUCT:              DRAQ5

Application Area:     Neuroscience, confocal microscopy

Ease of Use:             ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
After Sales Service:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Value for Money:       ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Average rating:           4.7

Comments:               It's easy to identify the target, and the signal is strong enough to capture the image.

Name: Hao-Jung Cheng

Organisation: National Sun Yat-Sen University

"molecular biology"

PRODUCT:               DRAQ5
Application Area:      Confocal Microscopy

After Sales Service:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Value for Money:      ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ease of Use:              ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Average rating:          5.0

Comments:                Easy to use and highly productive 

Name: Sanaa Bendahmane

• Organisation: Private University of Marrakech

"Works as expected"

PRODUCT:                 DRAQ5

Application Area:        DNA labeling for nano-imaging

Ease of Use:              ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
After Sales Service:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Value for Money:        ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Average rating:           5.0

Comments: It is easy to use. The photo-stability and brightness are great. The far-red spectrum also provides less potential damages to DNA structures.

Name: Wing Shun Li

Organisation: Applied Physics Program, Northwestern University

"Good"

PRODUCT:                  DRAQ5

Application Area:        Immunofluorescence

Ease of Use:              ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
After Sales Service:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Value for Money:        ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Average rating:           4.3

Comments: Works as expected

Name: Nahla Ibrahim

Organisation: Medizinischen Universität Wien

"very good"

PRODUCT:  DRAQ7
Application Area:  Cell death

Ease of Use:	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5.0)
After Sales Service:	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5.0)
Value for Money:	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5.0)
Average Rating:	5.0

Comments:  A good far-red dye for cell death.

Name: Shashank Dadsena
Organisation: University of Cologne
Review Date: 12 Jun 2024

---

"a very easy to prepare and use product that delivers accurate, reliable results"

PRODUCT:  DRAQ7
Application Area:  Analyze cell viability in compound screenings

Ease of Use:	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5.0)
After Sales Service:	⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.0)
Value for Money:	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5.0)
Average Rating:	4.7

Comments:  I use DRAQ7 for cell staining to enable a precise and reliable quantification of the viability of my cells before and after the application of compounds at varying concentrations. It's very easy to use with no need to suspend the stock solution, and readouts of the nuclear stain are always crisp! I have never had any problems with the reproducibility of results, with clear and precise control values every single time. There is honestly nothing bad I can write about this product as I have never had any problems, and it's so simple to use. I do not personally purchase this product, but my team has never had any problems with ordering and delivery, with fast turnaround times.

Name: Kieran Feltham
Organisation: Anglia Ruskin University
Review Date: 22 May 2024

---

"Very simple use to detect the nuclei and the signal is generally bright"

PRODUCT:                 DRAQ5

Application Area:        To visualize nuclei for basic research

Ease of Use:              ⭐⭐⭐⭐
After Sales Service:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Value for Money:        ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Average rating:           4.0

Comments: It is easy to use and the staining is generally bright. In my case it was helpful since it was not possible to detect the fluorescence released by other compounds used to visualize nuclei such as dapi or hoechst 33342.

Name: Raffaele Strippoli

Organisation: Sapienza University (Rome, Italy)

"Great results!"

PRODUCT:                 DRAQ5

Application Area:        Confocal microsopy

Ease of Use:              ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
After Sales Service:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Value for Money:        ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Average rating:           4.7

Comments: The product is highly effective for confocal microscopy use and easy to use. We could achieve high-quality and reproducible results. Quality meets the value of money, also considering the after-sales care.

Name: Flavia Trionfetti

Organisation: IRCCS INMI Spallanzani

"Great Result!"

PRODUCT:                 DRAQ5

Application Area:        Staining Nuclei

Ease of Use:              ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
After Sales Service:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Value for Money:        ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Average rating:           5.0

Comments: The staining result was of high quality.

Name: Julie Bejoy

Organisation: Vanderbilt University Medical Center

"Great nuclear counterstain"

PRODUCT:                 DRAQ5

Application Area:        Nuclear counterstaining in fluorescence microscopy

Ease of Use:              ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
After Sales Service:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Value for Money:        ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Average rating:           4.7

Comments: DRAQ5 is a bright and easy-to-use nuclear counterstain in the red part of the spectrum. It doesn't require washing after incubation and hence can save you a couple of minutes in the lab.

Name: Kseniia Sarieva

Organisation: Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research

"A bacterial DNA DRAQ5 was added to differentiate them from the background."

PRODUCT:                  DRAQ5

Application Area:        labeling bacterial viability for flow cytometry and confocal microcopy analysis

Ease of Use:              ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
After Sales Service:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Value for Money:        ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Average rating:           5.0

Comments: We ordered the product from Thermo Fisher. It is very easy to use in an effective and economical concentration range (after titration). Its use on fixed bacteria is a success. 

The protocol we have developed is the subject of a technical note: A flow cytometry method for safe detection of bacterial viability (DOI: 10.1002/cyto.a.24794)

Name: Sophie Servain Viel

Organisation: plateforme CYM - UMS IPSIT (Paris)

"good for necrotic nuclei, pity that Draq5 and Draq9 are at the same wavelengths"

PRODUCT:  DRAQ7
Application Area:  Visualize necrosis on glioblastoma primary spheroids with LSFM imaging

Ease of Use:	⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.0)
After Sales Service:	⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.0)
Value for Money:	⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.0)
Average Rating:	4.0

Comments:  Glioblastoma spheroids of ~1mm in diameter are incubated with DRAQ7 for 16-20hrs before imaging. DRAQ7 is visualized in far red and stains dead nuclei, without discriminating cell death patterns. Easily combined with blue and green probes. **Photobleaches after 6hrs**.

Name: Mariam-Eleni Oraiopoulou
Organisation: Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas
Review Date: 14 Sept 2023

---

"great results"

PRODUCT:  DRAQ7
Application Area:  Cell viability assessment

Ease of Use:	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5.0)
After Sales Service:	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5.0)
Value for Money:	⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.0)
Average Rating:	4.7

Comments:  The dye is perfect for detecting dead cells by flow cytometry. Stable, easy to use, quite sensitive.

Name: SHANSHAN DU
Organisation: University of Galway
Review Date: 13 Sept 2023

---

"Great results"

PRODUCT:                 DRAQ5

Application Area:        Cell cycle analysis of leukemia cells

Ease of Use:              ⭐⭐⭐⭐
After Sales Service:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Value for Money:        ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Average rating:           4.0

Comments: We have obtained excellent results staining acute myeloid leukemia cells for flow cytometric analysis of the cell cycle.

Name: Chiara Boggio

Organisation: Università del Piemonte Orientale

"Great and reliable results, easy to use, recommended in IF experiments"

PRODUCT:                  DRAQ5

Application Area:        analyze tissue samples and cells

Ease of Use:              ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
After Sales Service:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Value for Money:        ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Average rating:           4.7

Comments: DRAQ5 is easy to use and provides reliable and consistent  staining, when the datasheet information is followed. High-quality results are achieved in confocal microscope in immunofluorescence experiments using cells or tissues.

Name: Pinelopi Kastana

Organisation: University of Patras

"Great result"

PRODUCT:                 DRAQ5

Application Area:        Nuclear staining

Ease of Use:              ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
After Sales Service:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Value for Money:        ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Average rating:           5.0

Comments: Easy to use. Just followed the manufacture's protocol and got great microscopy images.  To lower the autofluorescence which we observed with Hoechst33342 on certain materials, we chose DRAQ5 and could get clear nuclear staining images.

Name: Sachiko Imaichi

Organisation: MGH

"great reproducible results"

PRODUCT:  DRAQ7
Application Area:  Assess nuclei in 2D and 3D immunofluorescence

Ease of Use:	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5.0)
After Sales Service:	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5.0)
Value for Money:	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5.0)
Average Rating:	5.0

Comments:  We use this product to look at nuclei in both 2D and 3D fixed immunofluorescence imaging. Very useful if you do not have access to a 405 laser and cannot use DAPI, as this uses the 647 channel.

Name: Danielle Buglak
Organisation: UNC Chapel Hill
Review Date: 4 May 2023

---

"It is easy to use and reliable as an internal control"

PRODUCT:                 DRAQ5

Application Area:        In cell western blot (in neural tube coronal slices)

Ease of Use:              ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
After Sales Service:    ⭐

Value for Money:        ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Average rating:           3.3

Comments: The product is ideal as an internal control for immunofluorometric quantification using immunofluorescence (infrared range). Results are reproduced consistently.

Name: Anayansi Molina-Hernández

Organisation: INPer, Mexico  

"Very easy to use. High-quality results"

PRODUCT:                  DRAQ5

Application Area:        Cell staining for flow cytometry

Ease of Use:              ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
After Sales Service:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Value for Money:        ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Average rating:           4.7

Comments: Very easy to use. High-quality results

Name: Francesco Bellanti

Organisation: University of Foggia

"Great results and publication!"

PRODUCT:                  DRAQ5

Application Area:        Proliferation of cells

Ease of Use:              ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
After Sales Service:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Value for Money:        ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Average rating:           5.0

Comments: Easy to use, nice results!

Name: Stéphane Schurmans

Organisation: University of Liège

"The results were good, but DraQ5 was too expensive, its utilization was limited."

PRODUCT:                  DRAQ5

Application Area:        detect the cell nuclei in confocal fluorescent microscopy

Ease of Use:              ⭐⭐⭐⭐

After Sales Service:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Value for Money:        ⭐⭐⭐
Average rating:           3.7

Comments: The product worked well. Our main problem with these stains is that they cannot be used in any microscope, e.g. Draq5 can be used in a confocal laser microscope, but cannot be used in another, simpler microscope, so we have to purchase different stains for different microscopes. In addition, DraQ5 is more expensive than other similar stains.

Name: Andras Hrabak

Organisation: Semmelweis University

.........................................

Manufacturer's response: Thank you for your review of DRAQ5. You are right that few epifluorescence microscopes have far-red detection capabilities. You may wish to explore the use of CyTRAK Orange which is excited optimally at 510 nm (488 ex. compatible) and with peak emission at 615 nm (“rhodamine" channel). We do appreciate your concern about pricing.. sadly we have no legal control over end-user pricing by our channel partners. You might, however, consider purchasing direct from BioStatus for the keenest price, fastest service and our expert technical support.

"Great results!"

PRODUCT:                  DRAQ5

Application Area:        Analyze nucleus in confocal microscopy

Ease of Use:              ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
After Sales Service:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Value for Money:        ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Average rating:           4.3

Comments: This product is very simple to use and gives high quality result. It also guarantees reproducibility of experiments. I used it for nucleus staining in confocal microscopy at 1:1000 concentration.

Name: Giulio Bontempi

Organisation: University La Sapienza of Roma

"An easy-to-use DNA dye suitable for tissue clearing of mouse brain samples"

PRODUCT:                  DRAQ5

Application Area:        Fluorescence microscopy counterstain for tissue clearing samples

Ease of Use:              ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
After Sales Service:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Value for Money:        ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Average rating:           4.7

Comments: The DraQ5 fluorescent probe is supplied as a water-soluble concentrated solution (0.5mM or 5mM) that can be diluted depending on the desired application. Given its high affinity for double-stranded DNA, DraQ5 can be used as a nuclear counterstain in immunohistochemistry studies upon short incubation periods of time, as an alternative to blue-fluorescent DNA-binding probes. However, the broad excitation and emission peaks must be taken into account if a combination with other fluorophores is desired. In our experience, it is also compatible with aqueous-based tissue clearing techniques, rendering a uniform labelling across entire mouse brain hemispheres (55-days-old) that could be imaged by light-sheet fluorescence microscopy. To achieve this, a simple incubation at 37⁰C/60rpm for 12h with a DraQ5 diluted solution (2.5uM) and a 12-hour washing step at 4⁰C to remove excess were incorporated in the tissue clearing procedure.

Name: Miguel Lopes

Organisation: Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology (CNC)

"excellent product to safely immobilise motile cells"

PRODUCT:                 CyGEL
Application Area:        Live cell fluorescent imaging of Leishmania promastigotes

Ease of Use:              ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
After Sales Service:   ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Value for Money:        ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Average rating:           4.7

Comments:                 Without Cygel it would be almost impossible to obtain high-quality microscopy of motile forms of Leishmania parasites. The product is easy to use and gives a reproducible performance. I've used it to image Leishmania promastigotes that were modified to contain fluorescent proteins, in order to gain information on protein function. Cellular morphology remained unchanged by the embedding process and protein localization was not affected. Can highly recommend Cygel.

Name: Nathaniel Jones

Organisation: University of York

"Great result"

PRODUCT:                  DRAQ5

Application Area:        Nuclear staining

Ease of Use:              ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
After Sales Service:    ⭐

Value for Money:        ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Average rating:           3.3

Comments: The product was easy to use. We achieved high-quality results. We took excellent photos with the confocal microscope. The results were reproducible

Name: Sara Shayan

Organisation: Pasteur Institute of Iran

"It is ok"

PRODUCT:                  DRAQ5

Application Area:        Cancer imaging

Ease of Use:              ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
After Sales Service:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Value for Money:        ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Average rating:           4.3

Comments: The effect is ok, but not very stable

Name: Zi Wang

Organisation: CAS

.........................................

Manufacturer's response: Dear Zi, It would be helpful to understand what the issue was in more detail. If staining is not stable over time that can be the case in live cells, where after several hours a re-distribution can occur in some cell types, mostly towards lipophilic structures in the cytoplasm (Martin, 2005). If the staining is not stable in fixed cells then this may be due to washing post-staining, too low concentration, or not removing surfactants used in prior cell permeabilisation procedures.