What is the difference between Biosearch’s Quasar® dyes and the Cy™ dyes? |
The Quasar dyes are direct replacements for the Cy™ dyes. The core structure of the Quasar dyes is identical to the core structure of the Cy™ dyes. Therefore, the Quasar dyes have the same spectral properties and perform equivalently to the Cy™ dyes and thus are direct replacements for their respective Cy™ dye equivalent (Quasar 570 for Cy3™ and Quasar 670 for Cy5™). The Quasar dyes do differ slightly in their solubility in the reagents and solvents utilized for DNA synthesis. They have been modified slightly with non-reactive groups that affect their solubility. Our modifications are sufficiently different such that they are not covered by patents from other companies. Also, the Quasar dyes are available as amidites, rather than succinimidyl esters, which eliminates the significant time and resource requirements of hand labeling required with the Cy™ dyes. For additional information, such as comparisons between the spectral properties of the Cy™ dyes and the Quasars, please email techsupport@biosearchtech.com
