800CW acid | CAS 1088919-86-1

IRDye® 800CW Carboxylate is a near-infrared (NIR) cyanine dye formulated as a carboxylate, designed for covalent attachment to amine-containing biomolecules and labeling handles. Its NIR emission supports low-background fluorescence imaging in standard fluorescence and imaging systems, making it a widely used reagent for fluorescent conjugate preparation and molecular imaging workflows. The carboxylate functionality enables robust bioconjugation strategies after activation, supporting consistent reagent-to-conjugate transfer in protein labeling, antibody conjugation, and other biomolecule derivatization formats.

1. Antibody And Protein Labeling

IRDye® 800CW Carboxylate is commonly used to generate fluorescent antibody conjugates and protein labeling reagents for imaging and quantitative fluorescence readouts in research settings. Researchers typically attach the dye to lysine-rich proteins to produce NIR-labeled immunoreagents for binding studies, target localization experiments, and fluorescent tracking of biomolecule distribution. Because the dye is supplied as a carboxylate, it integrates into activation-and-coupling workflows used by assay developers and molecular imaging groups that need stable, covalent dye-to-biomolecule conjugates for downstream imaging instrumentation.

2. Fluorescent Imaging Tracers

IRDye® 800CW Carboxylate is applied to construct NIR fluorescent tracers for fluorescence imaging experiments where reduced autofluorescence background is beneficial. Typical users include imaging technology teams and chemical biology laboratories that prepare dye-labeled ligands, affinity reagents, and biomolecular probes for monitoring localization and relative signal distribution in labeled samples. The NIR spectral window supports compatibility with common NIR-capable imaging platforms used for optical readouts, enabling researchers to visualize conjugate-associated fluorescence in complex biological matrices and multi-component experimental setups.

3. Conjugate-Based Bioassay Development

IRDye® 800CW Carboxylate is frequently incorporated into bioassay development pipelines to create fluorescent reagents for binding assays, wash-based workflows, and signal readouts that rely on NIR fluorescence. Assay developers use the dye to label proteins or other amine-bearing reagents that serve as reporters in experimental formats such as fluorescence-based detection of binding events and fluorescence-tracking controls. The carboxylate handle and resulting covalent conjugates help maintain consistent labeling for reproducible assay reagent preparation, supporting routine use in laboratory screening, method development, and comparative fluorescence quantification.

4. Flow Cytometry And Cell Labeling

IRDye® 800CW Carboxylate is used to prepare NIR fluorescent conjugates for cellular labeling experiments and fluorescence-based analysis workflows that can accommodate NIR detection. Researchers often generate dye-labeled antibodies or protein reagents to stain cell populations for visualization and quantification in instrument configurations equipped for near-infrared channels. This application is particularly relevant when investigators want to reduce spectral overlap with visible fluorophores in multiplex staining panels, enabling clearer interpretation of fluorescence signals from labeled biomolecular targets on cells.