Immunophenotyping Using Dried and Lyophilized Reagents

Antibody reagents that are used for flow cytometry immunophenotyping have traditionally been prepared by combining individual liquid antibody conjugates into mixtures. These cocktails have limited shelf-life, and their preparation is time-consuming and prone to laboratory error. Manufacturers of these reagents, in collaboration with several clinical and research centers, have made advances in constructing dried antibody cocktails which have addressed many of the problems inherent in preparing the liquid cocktails on the lab bench. This chapter discusses methods for the use of dried reagents.