Invitrogen™ Dynabeads™ M-280 Sheep Anti-Rabbit IgG

There are different methods to check binding of ligands to the beads, including optical density (OD) measurement, fluorescent labeling, and radioactive labeling.

For OD measurement, you would measure the OD of the ligand before immobilization to the beads and compare it with the ligand concentration that is left in the supernatant after coating. This gives a crude measurement of how much protein has bound to the beads.

Protocol:

1.Set spectrophotometer to the right wavelength. As a blank, use the Coupling Buffer.
2.Measure the absorbance of the Pre-Coupling Solution. A further dilution may be necessary to read the absorbance, depending upon the amount of ligand added.
3.Measure the absorbance of the Post-Coupling Solution. A dilution may be necessary to read the absorbance.
4.Calculate the coupling efficiency, expressed as the % protein uptake, as follows. [(Pre-Coupling Solution x D) - (Post-Coupling Solution x D)] x 100/(Pre-Coupling Solution x D) where D = dilution factor.

For fluorescent labeling, we suggest negatively quantifying the amount of ligand bound by measuring ligand remaining in the coupling supernatant (compared to the original sample), rather than directly measuring the ligands on the beads. Add labeled ligand to the beads, and measure how much ligand is left in the supernatant (not bound to the beads). By comparing this with the total amount added in the first place, you can then calculate how much of the ligand that has been bound to the beads. Keep in mind that the Dynabeads magnetic beads are also autofluorescent, which is why direct measuring of fluorescence of the bead-bound ligands is not recommended, but rather this indirect approach. The label could be, for example, FITC/PE. Some researchers perform a direct approach with success (using a flow cytometer).

Radioactive labeling is the most sensitive method of the three, but it is also the most difficult one. It involves radioactively labeling a portion of the ligand. We use radiolabeled I-125 in tracer amounts and mix it with "cold" ligands in a known ratio before coupling. The absolute quantities for the ligand on the beads should be obtained by measuring the beads in a scintillation (gamma) counter and comparing the cpm with a standard.

Protocol:

1.Take out an appropriate amount of beads and wash the beads in 1 mL of binding buffer.
2.Pipette out desired amount of human IgG in a separate tube.
3.Mix the human IgG with I-125-labeled human IgG (30,000 - 100,000 cpm).
4.Dilute the mixture of human IgG and I-125-labeled human IgG to 100 mL in binding buffer.
5.Incubate for 30 minutes at room temperature and measure the cpm in a scintillation counter.
6.Wash the beads (with coating) four times, and measure cpm again.
The % binding is calculated by using the equation : (cpm after washing/cpm before washing)x100%.

Dynabeads magnetic beads come in three sizes: 4.5 µm (M-450), 2.8 µm (M-270/M-280), and 1 µm (MyOne beads). The largest of the Dynabeads magnetic beads is ideal for big targets like cells. The 2.8 µm beads are recommended for proteomics and molecular applications. The smallest of the beads, 1 µm, are ideal for automated handling.

In general, short sonication is a good way to reduce aggregation of the beads and ensure optimal homogenous conditions at the time of ligand addition when coating the beads. When target is bound to the beads, more care is needed, as the binding might break. The streptavidin beads themselves should tolerate sonication. We have not tested sonication for long periods, but 5 minutes is fine. We do not have information about the streptavidin-biotin interaction being broken by such treatment.

If desired, the uncoated epoxy or tosylactivated beads can be sterilized by washing with 70% ethanol. Coated beads cannot be sterilized.

Dynabeads magnetic beads are uniform, non-porous, superparamagnetic, monodispersed and highly cross-linked polystyrene microspheres consisting of an even dispersion of magnetic material throughout the bead. The magnetic material within the Dynabeads magnetic beads consists of a mixture of maghemite (gamma-Fe2O3) and magnetite (Fe3O4). The iron content (Fe) of the beads is 12% by weight in Dynabeads magnetic beads M-280 and 20% by weight in Dynabeads magnetic beads M-450. The Dynabeads magnetic beads are coated with a thin polystyrene shell which encases the magnetic material, and prevents any leakage from the beads or trapping of ligands in the bead interior. The shell also protects the target from exposure to iron while providing a defined surface area for the adsorption or coupling of various molecules.

Uniformity of bead size and shape provides consistent physical and chemical properties. These uniform physical characteristics lead to high-quality, reproducible results.

The Dynabeads magnetic beads are available in three different sizes: 4.5 µm (M-450 beads), 2.8 µm (M-270/M-280 beads) and 1 µm (MyOne beads). as well as our Protein Immunoprecipitation (IP), Co-Immunoprecipitation (Co-IP), and Pulldown Support Center.

We supply two secondary antibody coated 2.8 micron beads for immunoprecipitation:
Dynabeads M-280 Sheep anti-Mouse IgG magnetic beads (Cat. Nos. 11201D and 11202D) to be used when your primary antibodies are derived from mouse.
Dynabeads M-280 Sheep anti-Rabbit IgG magnetic beads (Cat. Nos. 11203D and 11204D) to be used when your primary antibodies are derived from rabbit serum.

Dynabeads magnetic beads coated with antibody/ligand may be stored at 2-8 degrees C without loss of antigen binding capacity. For long-term storage, a final concentration of 0.02% NaN3 may be added to the antibody-coupled beads in a physiological buffer. Please note that not all coupled antibodies retain their function in long term storage. Verify your coupled antibody stability by testing in small scale. After storage, coated Dynabeads magnetic beads should be washed once in PBS/BSA for 5 min before use.

Storage should be at 2-8 degrees C. Freezing Dynabeads magnetic beads is not recommended. Provided the Dynabeads magnetic beads are stored correctly, quality is guaranteed until the expiration date stated on the label. as well as our Protein Immunoprecipitation (IP), Co-Immunoprecipitation (Co-IP), and Pulldown Support Center.

Dynabeads magnetic beads coated with antibody/ligand may be stored at 2-8 degrees C without loss of antigen binding capacity. For long-term storage, a final concentration of 0.02% NaN3 may be added to the antibody-coupled beads in a physiological buffer. Please note that not all coupled antibodies retain their function in long term storage. Verify your coupled antibody stability by testing in small scale. After storage, coated Dynabeads magnetic beads should be washed once in PBS/BSA for 5 min before use.

Standard elution methods are used to dissociate the isolated protein from Dynabeads magnetic beads. The most suitable elution method depends on the characteristics of the isolated protein and the desired downstream application of the eluted protein. In many cases, Dynabeads magnetic beads can be recovered for reuse after elution. Some standard elution methods are listed below.

-pH change: elution can be achieved by reducing pH (for example, by using 0.1 M citrate (pH 2-3) as the elution buffer). Dynabeads magnetic beads are stable between pH 4-13. If the Dynabeads magnetic beads are exposed for a prolonged period of time to pH below 4, the beads may be adversely affected.

-Change of ionic strength: high-salt concentration buffers (e.g., NaI, KI, MgCl, KCl) can be used to elute isolated proteins. Optimization is required, by step-wise elution starting at 1 M and increasing to 3 M.

-Affinity elution: with this method, the eluting agent competes for the binding of the protein or the binding of the ligand e.g., elution of glycoproteins from a lectin coupled to Dynabeads magnetic beads may be achieved by the addition of the free sugar.

-Denaturing eluents: as a last resort, denaturing eluents such as chaotropic salts may be used to alter the structure of the protein. The proteins on the bead surface and the eluted proteins will be denatured.

-Polarity reducing agents : substances that reduce the polarity of the buffer often disrupt the hydrophobic interactions between antibody and protein. Dioxane or ethylene glycol may be used to reduce the polarity of the eluent. as well as our Protein Immunoprecipitation (IP), Co-Immunoprecipitation (Co-IP), and Pulldown Support Center.

Superparamagnetic means that the Dynabeads magnetic beads exhibit magnetic properties when placed within a magnetic field, but have no residual magnetism when removed from the magnetic field.

This means that your targeted cells, proteins, or nucleic acids are only subjected to magnetic forces during the time the beads are on the magnet. The beads do not aggregate, but remain evenly dispersed in suspension.

Yes. The antibodies are covalently bound and should be very stable in your applications.

Depending on the antibody coated on the Dynabeads magnetic beads, the shelf life can vary from 24-36 months.
Some kits may have 18 months shelf life depending on other components supplied in the kit. The kits are guaranteed for 6 months from when you receive them. as well as our Protein Immunoprecipitation (IP), Co-Immunoprecipitation (Co-IP), and Pulldown Support Center.

Yes, the Dynabeads M-280 Sheep Anti-Mouse IgG (Cat. No 11202D) are Mass Spectrometry compatible after Co-IP. Please note that for MS compatibility it is crucial to use the right buffers. Therefore, you should avoid nonionic detergents with PEG chains such as Triton X-100 or NP-40. If you have already lysed your cells in a buffer like this, that is ok, as long as your washing buffers don’t include MS-incompatible buffers.

The M stands for magnetic. M-280 refers to hydrophobic 2.8 micron beads, while M-270 refers to hydrophilic 2.8 micron beads. MyOne refers to 1 micron beads. as well as our Protein Immunoprecipitation (IP), Co-Immunoprecipitation (Co-IP), and Pulldown Support Center.

Answering this question is not straightforward. It will depend on the detection method. When using HRP (horseradish peroxidase)-based detection system or radioactivity in combination with a good antibody, very little target is required. More target is required when using an AP (alkaline phosphatase)-based detection system. When a sensitive detection system is used, detection will most likely be in the nanogram range. In some cases, pictograms of target can be detected.

Within practical limits, the elution volume can be scaled up or down to suit your experiment. However, volumes less than 10 µL become more difficult to work with. In addition, the amount of target is important. If you have a lot of beads with a lot of bound target in a small elution volume, your elution may not be very efficient. Typically, 15-100 µL of beads may be eluted in 30 µL. For efficient recovery of the antigen and/or binding partners, the elution volume should at minimum equal the volume of the beads.

There are several methods to quantify the amount of antibody bound to the beads. The crudest method is to measure the concentration of antibody in the coupling reaction before and after antibody attachment. Either fluorescence measurements or absorbance at 280 nm can be used. Alternatively, you could measure the amount of antibody bound to the beads by fluorescence, chemiluminescence, or radiolabeling detection methods. as well as our Protein Immunoprecipitation (IP), Co-Immunoprecipitation (Co-IP), and Pulldown Support Center.

Incubation time will depend on the immunogenicity of the primary antibody and its binding affinity with the specific antigens. For a good primary antibody, 30-40 minutes incubation should work well. If you are working with a poor antibody or a very low-abundance protein, you could try to increase binding by incubating overnight. However, this also increases the chance of background protein binding.

If the target protein has the same molecular weight as the heavy or light chain antibody, we would recommend covalently binding the antibody to the bead surface. This can be done by either crosslinking the antibody to the Dynabeads Protein A or G magnetic beads, or secondary coated beads, or by using one of the surface-activated Dynabeads magnetic beads. as well as our Protein Immunoprecipitation (IP), Co-Immunoprecipitation (Co-IP), and Pulldown Support Center.

Using Dynabeads magnetic beads for protein isolation provides several advantages:

-Rapid binding kinetics: since the number of beads per volume for Dynabeads is approximately 1,000 times higher than for the same volume of a Sepharose slurry, the probability for Dynabeads magnetic beads to hit the target is far greater.

-Incubation time: due to the rapid binding kinetics, the protocol is usually very short.
-Low background: due to the rapid binding kinetics and the short incubation time, the background is also very low.
-Trapping of impurities: the beads offer no internal volume for binding or trapping of impurities.
-Low antibody consumption: this is because Dynabeads magnetic beads are nonporous, uniform superparamagnetic, monodispersed, highly crosslinked polystyrene microspheres consisting of an even dispersion of magnetic material throughout the bead. The beads are coated with a thin layer of a highly crosslinked polystyrene shell that encases the magnetic material and prevents any leakage from the beads or trapping of ligands in the bead interior. The outer layer also provides a defined surface area for the adsorption or coupling of various molecules such as antibodies. Uniformity of bead size and shape provide consistent physical and chemical properties. These uniform physical characteristics lead to high-quality, reproducible results.
-Reproducibility: due to easier practical handling, such as pipetting. No centrifugation steps or preclearing are required.

No. Not only is dithionite a reducing agent, but the strong affinity of the dithionite ion for bivalent and trivalent metal cations (M2+, M3+) allows it to enhance the solubility of iron, making it a chelating agent. As a result, the iron in the Dynabeads magnetic beads is reduced and pulled out when they are exposed to dithionite. The same is observed if Dynabeads magnetic beads are exposed to DTT and EDTA. With EDTA, we highly recommend checking the minimal amount of EDTA that your specific molecules would tolerate for binding to the Dynabeads, and if it will affect your specific application. For some applications, low concentrations of EDTA can be tolerated by Dynabeads. On the other hand, using 10 mM EDTA with heating affects the binding of biotin molecules to Dynabeads streptavidin. as well as our Protein Immunoprecipitation (IP), Co-Immunoprecipitation (Co-IP), and Pulldown Support Center.

Yes, they are compatible with 6-8 M Urea when used during post-coupling steps.

Dynabeads magnetic beads, being magnetic in nature are really not designed to be centrifuged. That being said, the beads themselves are compact, as the pores in the polymer matrix are filled with magnetic material and coated with a final outer polymer shell that will further add to the rigidity of the beads. Hence, pressure should theoretically not be a problem for the beads themselves, but the force exerted by the beads on surrounding cells in the pellet may be detrimental to the cells. as well as our Protein Immunoprecipitation (IP), Co-Immunoprecipitation (Co-IP), and Pulldown Support Center.

Magnetic beads, unlike agarose beads, are solid and spherical, and antibody binding is limited to the surface of each bead. While magnetic beads do not have the advantage of a porous center to increase the binding capacity, they are significantly smaller than agarose beads (1 to 4 µm), which collectively gives them adequate surface area-to-volume ratios for optimum antibody binding.

High-power magnets are used to localize magnetic beads to the side of the incubation tube and out of the way to enable cell lysate aspiration without the risk of also aspirating immune complexes bound to the beads. Magnetic separation avoids centrifugation, which can break weak antibody-antigen binding and cause loss of target protein.

However, an issue with the use of magnetic beads is that bead size variations may prevent all beads from localizing to the magnet. Additionally, while immunoprecipitation using agarose beads only requires standard laboratory equipment, the use of magnetic beads for immunoprecipitation applications requires high-power magnetic equipment that can be cost-prohibitive. Read more about our Magnetic Immunoprecipitation Products (https://www.thermofisher.com/us/en/home/life-science/protein-biology/protein-assays-analysis/immunoprecipitation.html#products).

Whether cells will internalize the Dynabeads magnetic beads during culture will depend on the cell type. Due to the bead size (usually 4.5µm in diameter) Dynabeads magnetic beads will not be internalized into the endocytic pathway e.g., via clathrin coated pits. The clathrin coated pits are typically not more than 500 nm in size, which is far too small for endocytosis of the beads. However, if cells with phagocytic activities (e.g., monocytes/macrophages) are present, the Dynabeads magnetic beads will be phagocytosed into the phagolysosomes by these specialized cells. So it would really depend on the cell type.

We offer several Dynabeads magnetic beads that can be used for either positive isolation (keep the target cells) or for depletion (remove the target cell from a sample) that does not include any release mechanism:

- Dynabeads magnetic beads for depletion: Using Dynabeads magnetic beads for depletion is a very fast, efficient and easy method. Use pre-coated Dynabeads magnetic beads or coat your own target antibody onto our secondary coated beads, add to any sample (e.g., whole blood, PBMC, buffy coat, tissue digests), incubate for 20 minutes with mixing, apply to a magnet for 2 minutes, and you have your cells depleted.

- Dynabeads magnetic beads for positive isolation for molecular downstream assays: Positive isolation of target cells without bead release can be used when the aim is downstream molecular studies such as DNA, RNA, or protein analysis. In these applications, the isolated cells can be lysed while the beads are attached to the cells, and the beads can be removed after cell lysis. If the bead presence is not a problem, you can also culture the cells with the beads on. In most cases the surface antigen will be internalized after 2-3 days, and then the beads will fall off since the beads are too big to be internalized by the endocytosis pathway.

In general, the size of the Dynabeads magnetic beads is so large that they will not be internalized. The clathrin-coated pits are typically not more than 500 nm in size, which will be too small for Dynabeads magnetic beads to be internalized by endocytosis. However, if the target cells have phagocytic activities such as monocytes/macrophages, the Dynabeads magnetic beads could be internalized by phagocytosis.

Thaw cells in their cryovial in a 37 degrees C water bath until a small ice-clump is left. Transfer the cells gently to a fresh 10-15 mL tube immediately after the cells are thawed and add 10 mL 20% FCS/human serum in droplets to the cells while gentle pipetting. Avoid air bubbles. Work fast. Centrifuge the cells 200 X g, 8 minutes. Discard the supernatant. Resuspend in the appropriate buffer/media.

In general, freezing medium (10% DMSO and 90% FCS) or Gibco Recovery Cell Culture Freezing Medium (Cat. No. 12648-010) work well. Some cells will always die during the freezing process. In addition, freezing and thawing will cause some cells to lyse. The protocol to freeze mammalian cells using Gibco Recovery medium is as follows:

1. Thaw Recovery Cell Culture Freezing Medium, mix well, and keep at 2-8 degrees C until use.
2. For suspension cells proceed to step 3. For adherent cells, gently detach cells from the substrate on which they are growing using a suitable dissociation reagent such as Gibco TrypLE reagent. Resuspend cells in the complete medium required for that cell type.
3. Transfer cell suspension to a sterile 15 mL centrifuge tube.
4. Determine the viable cell density and percent viability using a Countess Automated Cell Counter (similar automated or manual methods may be used) and calculate the required volume of Recovery Cell Culture Freezing Medium to give a final cell density of 1 X 10E6 to 1 X 10E7 cells/mL.
5. Centrifuge cell suspension at 100-200 x g for 5-10 minutes. Aseptically decant supernatant without disturbing the cell pellet. Note: Centrifugation speed and duration may vary depending on cell type.
6. Resuspend the cell pellet in (2- 8 degrees C) chilled Recovery Cell Culture Freezing Medium at recommended viable cell density for specific cell type (typically 1 X 10E6 cells/mL or greater).
7. Dispense aliquots of cell suspension (mix frequently to maintain a homogeneous cell suspension) into cryovials according to the manufacturer's specifications (i.e., 1.5 mL in a 2 mL cryovial).
8. Achieve cryopreservation in an automated or manual controlled rate freezing apparatus following standard procedures (approximately 1 degree C decrease per minute).
9. Transfer frozen cells to liquid nitrogen, (vapor phase); storage at -200 degrees C to -125 degrees C is recommended.

Bone marrow needs to be washed and diluted prior to addition of Dynabeads magnetic beads to make the sample less viscous. Washing and DNase treatment is recommended for preparing bone marrow cells prior to cell isolation using Dynabeads magnetic beads:

- Mix 2 mL (10E7-10E8 cells) bone marrow with 2 ml PBS w/ 0.1% BSA + 0.6% Na-citrate.
- Centrifuge at 600 g for 8 min at 18-25 degrees C.
- Discard the supernatant and resuspend to 5 mL with PBS w/ 0.1% BSA + 1mM CaCl₂ + 0.5 mM MgCl₂.
- Add 600 Kunitz units DNase I (120 Kunitz units DNase I per milliliter).
- Incubate cells for 30 minutes at 18-25 degrees C with both gentle tilting and rotation.
- Centrifuge cell suspension for 8 minutes, 600 x g, at 18-25 degrees C.
- Discard supernatant and resuspend cell pellet in 5 mL PBS w/ 0.1% BSA.
- Centrifuge cell suspension for 8 minutes, 600 x g, at 18-25 degrees C.
- Discard supernatant and resuspend at 1 x 10E8 cells per milliliter in RPMI 1640 / 1% FCS

Follow standard tissue preparations using enzymes and mechanical disruption to get a single-cell suspension. Eliminate large aggregates by sieving the digested cell suspension through a cell strainer or filter through a 30 µm filter. Disruption of tissue normally results in some cell death and release of DNA. Free DNA will impair cell capture, recovery, and purity. DNase I treatment is performed by incubating the cell suspension in PBS with 0.1% BSA + 1 mM CaCl₂ + 0.5 mM MgCl₂ and 120 Kunitz units DNase I per ml at 18-25 degrees C for 30 min. (For CELLection products, wash cells to remove DNase before adding the beads.)

Mononuclear cells (MNC), also known as peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), are prepared from whole blood, buffy coat, bone marrow, or umbilical cord blood by density gradient separation. The following protocol can be used for standard MNC preparation for positive isolation or depletion protocols:

1. Collect blood sample with anticoagulant present (EDTA, ACD, heparin). Dilute peripheral blood 1 + 1, buffy coat 1 + 2, bone marrow 1 + 1 and umbilical cord blood 1 + 3 in PBS w/ 0.1% BSA + 0.6% Na-citrate or 2 mM EDTA.
2. Layer up to 35 mL of the diluted sample over 15 mL gradient medium (such as Ficoll or Lymphoprep solution) in a 50 mL tube.
3. Centrifuge for 400 x g for 30-40 minutes at 18-20 degrees C. If blood has been stored for more than 2 hours, increase centrifugation time by 10 min.
4. Collect MNC from the interface and transfer cells to a 50 mL tube.
5. Wash MNC three times with PBS w/0.1% BSA by centrifugation at 300 x g for 8 min at 2-8 degrees C.
6. Resuspend the cells to 1 x 10E7 cells per milliliter in PBS with 0.1% BSA and cool to 2-8 degrees C.
Note: MNC contain T cells (50%), B cells (5-10%), NK cells (5-10%), and monocytes (30%) without granulocytes and very few platelets.

For use with Untouched/negative isolation kits, the following protocol is recommended to obtain MNC prep with low platelet numbers and the highest possible purity:

Whole blood/buffy coat and bone marrow can be used as a starting material.

1. Dilute 10-18 mL blood/buffy coat with PBS w/ 0.1% BSA + 0.6% Na-citrate or 2 mM EDTA to a total volume of 35 ml at 18-25 degrees C.
2. Add the diluted blood/buffy coat on top of 15 mL of gradient medium (such as Lymphoprep or Ficoll solution).
3 .Centrifuge at 160 x g for 20 min at 20 degrees C. Allow to decelerate without braking.
4. Remove 20 mL of supernatant to eliminate platelets.
5. Centrifuge at 350 x g for 20 min at 20 degrees C. Allow to decelerate without braking.
6 .Recover MNC from the plasma/Lymphoprep solution interface and transfer the cells to a 50 mL tube.
7. Wash MNC once with PBS w/ 0.1% BSA by centrifugation at 400 x g for 8 min at 2-8 degrees C.
8. Wash MNC twice with PBS w/ 0.1% BSA by centrifugation at 225 x g for 8 min at 2-8 degrees C and resuspend the MNC at 1 x 10E8 MNC per milliliter in PBS w/ 0.1% BSA.

Buffy coat, also known as leukocyte concentrate, is the middle fraction of an anti-coagulated blood sample that sits under the plasma and on the top of red blood cells after centrifugation of the sample without using a density gradient reagent such as Ficoll solution. Buffy coat contains both leukocytes and platelets and can be used as a source of this cellular material.

Typically, one milliliter of adult human blood contains:
~5 x 10E9 red blood cells
~7 x 10E6 leukocytes
~3 x 10E8 platelets

In the 7 x 10E6 leukocyte fraction, there are:
4 x 10E5 monocytes
1 x 10E5 NK cells

Lymphocytes:
2 x 10E5 B cells
1 x 10E6 T cells (approx. 70% are CD4+ T cells and 30% are CD8+ T cells)

Granulocytes:
5 x 10E6 neutrophils
2 x 10E5 eosinophils
4 x 10E4 basophils

This will depend on your application. As a guideline, the 4.5 micron beads are best used for cell isolation and activation/expansion. These larger beads have a higher magnetic mobility, they are roughly the same size as mammalian cells, and are less likely to be taken up by the cells. The smaller 1 micron beads and 2.8 micron beads are often used when isolating nucleic acids or proteins, or for immunoprecipitation. In negative cell isolation kits, one micron beads are often used because of their higher binding capacity per milliliter of beads and faster binding kinetics. With negative selection, cells taking up any beads will not be a problem as you want to look at the remaining cell population anyway. The 2.8 micron Dynabeads magnetic beads, coated with secondary antibodies, protein A or protein G, or streptavidin are also used for positive cell isolation with primary antibodies of your own choice, targeting specific cell-surface antigens.

Three different sizes of Dynabeads magnetic beads are available: One micron beads (look for MyOne magnetic beads in the product name), 2.8 micron beads, and 4.5 micron beads. In general, the binding capacity per milliliter of beads and binding kinetics increases as the bead size reduces.

Dynabeads magnetic beads are super-paramagnetic, meaning they only display magnetic characteristics when a magnet is present. As soon as the magnet is removed, the beads handle like a liquid and are easily dispersed in the sample tube. For cell isolation purposes, this has clear advantages as it allows for gentle handing and reduced stress to the cells. Secondly, the beads all have the same size and shape, with rapid liquid-phase reaction kinetics. The smooth surface of the beads results in less non-specific binding. These properties tend to reduce variability and allow you to get more reliable and reproducible results for your purifications and your analyses whether you are looking at cells or any other target molecule (RNA/DNA/proteins/protein complexes/organelles/exosomes etc.)