FAQs

Alomone Labs products are derived from three main sources: recombinant (expressed in E. coli or other systems), synthetic (chemical synthesis for peptides and small molecules), or natural (isolated directly from the original source). The specific source is listed on each product page.

Our products are lyophilized from either double distilled water (ddH₂O) or volatile buffers (such as acetic acid or acetonitrile) to ensure minimal salt content. We do not add carrier proteins or additives like BSA, HSA, or sucrose. Please note that residual amounts of the solvent (e.g., TFA or acetate) may remain.

Our reagents are shipped at room temperature in a stable, lyophilized (freeze-dried) state. Upon receipt, store the powder at -20°C and protect it from moisture.

Before opening, we recommend centrifuging the vial (e.g., 10,000 × g for 5 minutes) to ensure all material is collected at the bottom, as the lyophilized pellet can be difficult to see. To prepare a concentrated stock solution, add your solvent directly to the vial and dissolve by gently tapping or rolling. Avoid vigorous vortexing.

For specific reconstitution protocols, please refer to the individual product page and use our Molarity Calculator.

Storage After Reconstitution

Once dissolved, stock solutions are generally stable at 4°C for up to one week. For long-term use, we recommend dividing the stock solution into single-use aliquots and storing them at -20°C for up to 6 months. When ready to use, simply thaw an aliquot and dilute it to your final working concentration in the appropriate buffer. We suggest preparing fresh working solutions just before use. Avoid multiple freeze-thaw cycles.

Note: For specific proteins like neurotrophins or growth factors, adding 0.1% BSA to the diluted solution can significantly improve long-term stability.

Always refer to the specific product page or COA for detailed instructions, as stability can vary by compound.

When stored as a lyophilized powder at -20°C or -80°C and protected from moisture, most products remain stable for several years.

Once reconstituted, stability depends on the storage environment. To ensure the longest shelf life, we recommend storing concentrated stock solutions as single-use aliquots at -20°C. This helps maintain protein stability and avoids the damage caused by multiple freeze-thaw cycles.

Because stability and solubility can vary significantly based on the specific sequence or compound, we recommend referring to the Certificate of Analysis (COA) or the individual product page for detailed reconstitution and storage information.

Our reagents are shipped as stable, lyophilized powders. Before opening, we recommend centrifuging the vial (e.g., 10,000 × g for 5 minutes) to ensure all material is collected at the bottom, as the pellet can be difficult to see.

To reconstitute, add your solvent directly to the vial to prepare a concentrated stock solution. Dissolve by gently tapping or rolling the vial. Avoid vigorous vortexing. For neurotrophins, pro-neurotrophins, and growth factors, we recommend avoiding vortexing entirely. Once dissolved, spin the vial down again and divide the solution into single-use aliquots for storage at -20°C.

For specific protocols, please refer to the individual product page and use our Molarity Calculator.

Solvent Selection & Guidelines

Venom Toxins: Usually soluble in pure water (ddH₂O) at high micromolar concentrations (0.1–1 mM). While they are typically compatible with any aqueous buffer, we highly recommend preparing the initial stock solution in pure water unless stated otherwise.

Neurotrophins & Growth Factors: Our general recommendation is to reconstitute with sterile water at a concentration of 0.1–1.0 mg/mL as a stock solution. For storage of dilute working solutions of specific proteins, we recommend adding a carrier protein (e.g., 0.1% BSA) to your buffer to prevent material loss due to protein adsorption. Always check the product-specific datasheet to ensure additives are compatible with your reagent.

Important Handling Notes:

We recommend preparing fresh working buffers before each use.
Avoid multiple freeze-thaw cycles to maintain biological activity.
Avoid heating peptides/proteins. Work at ambient room temperature and no higher than 37°C.

Our reagents are shipped as stable, lyophilized powders. Before opening, we recommend centrifuging the vial (e.g., 10,000 × g for 5 minutes) to ensure all material is collected at the bottom, as the pellet can be difficult to see.

For DMSO-soluble products, prepare a concentrated stock solution by dissolving the lyophilized product in high-quality DMSO first (e.g., 100x to 1000x the final working concentration). Once fully dissolved, slowly dilute the stock solution into the desired aqueous buffer (or water) to the final working concentration while gently agitating the mixture.

Important Handling Notes:

DMSO Concentration: To maintain biological activity and minimize toxicity, keep the DMSO concentration as low as possible. For cell-based assays, a final concentration of 0.1–0.5% DMSO (v/v) is generally acceptable. For other experiments, 5% DMSO (v/v) is often recommended, but should be adjusted based on your specific application.

Stability: Avoid multiple freeze-thaw cycles to maintain optimal biological activity.

Our typical recommendation is to prepare a concentrated stock solution that is 100–1,000x higher than your final working concentration. We do not recommend storing reagents at their final working dilution.

You can find more detailed instructions on compatible solvents and concentrations on the individual product page.

Every product is manufactured and fully validated in-house using LC-MS, HPLC, and biological activity analysis. To ensure proper folding and lot-to-lot consistency, we conduct electrophysiology bioassays (or relevant activity tests) for every new release. A lot is only released once its chemical purity and functional performance align perfectly with our established standards.

For long-term stability, we recommend dividing the reconstituted stock solution into single-use aliquots and storing them at -20°C for up to 6 months. Once an aliquot is thawed, it can be stored at 4°C for up to 1 week. We do not recommend storing reagents in their final working dilution for more than a few days. Avoid multiple freeze-thaw cycles to maintain biological activity.

If long-term storage of a diluted solution is necessary, consider adding 0.1% BSA to the buffer to prevent material loss. Always check the product-specific datasheet to ensure additives are compatible with your reagent. As a best practice, always prepare fresh working solutions immediately before use.

When you order an antibody from us, it will be shipped at room temperature in a stable lyophilized form.

The blocking peptide is the antigen we use for immunization during antibody generation so that we can create an antigen-specific antibody. You can use this blocking peptide as a negative control alongside other controls in an immunoassay to give some insight into antibody specificity, but not selectivity.

It’s important to note that the blocking peptide is not an effective control for use with live cells. If you need a control for flow cytometry, we recommend an isotype antibody control instead.

For more details, see our guide to blocking peptides.

We carefully choose the epitope for immunization, taking into account two main parameters: immunogenicity and specificity of the epitope.

Before immunization, we run a search to verify that the chosen epitope has maximum homology with other species and minimum homology among members of the same family or other proteins. After immunization and collection of sera, the antibodies are affinity-purified on immobilized antigens (the injected peptides).

This means you shouldn’t have to worry about your antibody cross-reacting with close members of the same protein family.

Affinity-purified rabbit polyclonal antibodies are mainly IgGs.

Your antibody comes as a lyophilized powder in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), (pH 7.4), with 1% BSA, and 0.05% NaN₃. Before you reconstitute the antibody, we recommend you briefly centrifuge the vial to ensure all of the antibody is at the bottom of the tube. You can then reconstitute the antibody in double-distilled water (DDW) or any other water that you prefer (such as UltraPure DNase/RNase-Free Water). Note: the volume of water that you should add to reconstitute the antibody is shown on the vial. After reconstitution, you can further dilute the antibody to the recommended working concentration with any desired buffer.

In general, upon arrival, the lyophilized antibody (before reconstitution) should be kept at -20°C until use. If kept as a lyophilized powder at -20°C, you can store it safely for several months if you avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles.

After reconstitution, you should sire it at 4°C, and it should retain its reactivity for approximately one week. For long-term storage, aliquot your antibody and store at -20°C until use. The aliquoted samples stored at -20°C should retain their reactivity for approximately 1 year if handled well.

We do not recommend storing the antibodies at -80°C.

BSA serves as an effective stabilizer (that supplies a high protein concentration environment for the antibody) and minimizes the loss of antibody due to non-specific binding to the tube. Meanwhile, the NaN₃ functions as a bacteriostatic preservative, which prevents microbial contamination.

If you need an antibody without BSA or NaN₃, just let us know and we can prepare a carrier- and/or preservative-free version for you.

The “extracellular” part in the antibody title simply tells you the chosen epitope is facing the extracellular space. Antibodies that don’t have “extracellular” in the product name are antibodies that target an epitope that faces the intracellular space of the cell.

Antibodies that recognize extracellular domains of proteins are great tools for live-cell imaging and live-cell flow cytometry since there’s no need for permeabilization and fixation.

Each lot can be from different bleeds from the same animal and, of course, from different animals. In any case, all our antibodies are affinity-purified in columns with immobilized peptide antigen. Additionally, all new lots are tested in a western blot in parallel with a previous lot, to ensure the best product possible by minimizing lot to lot inconsistencies.

It is customary to denote any changes or additions to the original peptide sequence with parentheses. We add a Cysteine (Cys) to all peptides so they can be covalently linked to a carrier protein for immunization and the solid phase used for affinity purification of the antibody.

ATTO Fluor-conjugated antibodies are primary antibodies that contain an ATTO Fluor dye (fluorophore) directly attached to them, which eliminates the need for a secondary antibody.

ATTO Fluor dyes have strong absorption (high extinction coefficient), high fluorescence quantum yield, and high photostability. They are analogous to the Alexa Fluor dyes and are comparable to other currently available fluorescent technologies. The ATTO Fluor dyes are especially suited for applications that require simultaneous labeling of different markers.

You can read about ATTO Fluor dyes in our short application guide.

Yes. Our primary antibodies that have been conjugated to a dye, such as ATTO Fluor, are sensitive to light. You should keep them covered or in the dark as much as possible. The vials can be kept in light-proof containers or wrapped in foil during experiments to help shield them from the light.

Fusion proteins are made from at least two joined domains – encoded by different genes – so that they are transcribed and translated as a single unit, to yield a single polypeptide. You can use fusion protein in the form of affinity tags to help with protein purification, where you take a protein you can easily purify by affinity chromatography and fuse it to the protein you want to research. A common affinity tag is glutathione S-transferase (GST). In this case, you would insert GST’s DNA sequence alongside the DNA of the protein of interest and express it in bacteria, resulting in a GST-tagged fusion protein. This fused protein would then need to undergo strict purification methods from other bacterial proteins and debris. You then confirm the identity and purity of the fused protein by DNA sequence and SDS-PAGE.

Yes, we do. We use GST-tagged proteins to immunize hosts like rabbits or guinea pigs to generate antibodies against them. The host’s immune system then generates antibodies against both the GST tag and the specific protein attached to it. To isolate these specific antibodies, we first deplete the collected sera of anti-GST antibodies by affinity chromatography and then purify the antibodies directed against the specific protein on an immobilized antigen.

Quality control is routinely performed on the unconjugated antibody using Western blot (WB) to verify specificity and performance. If validation of the conjugated product is required, it can be performed upon request for an additional fee.

Yes. The Degree of Labeling (DOL) value can be provided when this information is available for the specific conjugated product.

To assist with experimental design and fluorophore selection, you can use the following tools:

• Panel Builder – to help design optimized multi-color panels.
• Spectra Viewer – to visualize fluorophore excitation and emission spectra.

If you require a custom conjugation that is not listed, please contact us with your request at [email protected]. Our team will be happy to evaluate your needs and discuss possible solutions.

No, all of our products are sent lyophilized at room temperature. All products have been tested and proved stable for up to three weeks in this form during shipment. Upon receiving the product, please follow the storage conditions detailed in the Certificate of Analysis provided with the product.

No, our products are lyophilized and packed in sealed vials. They are stable up to 3 weeks at ambient temperature, unless specified differently.

Orders are shipped within 24 hours. Orders received on Thursday or Friday are shipped on Sunday.

It takes about 2-3 business days for orders to arrive.

Our products can be ordered and shipped directly from our Headquarters to almost anywhere in the world. For your convenience, we have a number of distributors in Europe and Asia.

For a list of distributors, please see Ordering & Shipping.

We do not accept returns due to the sensitive nature of our products. If you have a problem with a product, please contact our technical support staff at [email protected]