Stem cells are unspecialized cells with the capacity to self-renew and differentiate into specialized cell types, such as neurons, liver, or muscle cells. Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) that can divide for a long period in culture. They have the potential to differentiate and become any cell type found in the human body. Adult stem cells such as neural stem cells (NSCs), mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), and hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are multipotent stem cells. The differentiation of multipotent stem cells is limited to the cell types found in the tissue of origin. These cells help to maintain and repair the tissue in which they are found. Stem cells show tremendous potential in the areas of developmental biology, disease modeling research, drug development screening, and cell therapy studies. Antibody-based detection methods such as immunocytochemistry and flow cytometry are commonly used for the characterization of various stem cells and their differentiated cells. The use of high-quality antibodies is one of the key factors contributing to the success and rapid progress of stem cell research. Thermo Fisher Scientific offers a comprehensive library of primary antibodies for stem cell research.

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Listen to our R&D scientist discuss the use of antibodies to characterize cells in stem cell research. Then, download the application note to learn more.

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Pluripotent stem cell antibody targets

Neural stem cell antibody targets

Hematopoietic stem cell antibody targets antibodies

Mesenchymal stem cell antibody targets (positive and negative)

Applications

Thermo Fisher Scientific offers a comprehensive library of of high-quality primary antibodies for stem cell research.

Immunofluorescence analysis of pluripotent stem cell markers

Immunofluorescence analysis of pluripotent stem cell markers in human induced pluripotent stem cells.Gibco Human Episomal iPSCs (Cat. No. A18945) grown on vitronectin (VTN-N) (Cat. No. A14700) in Essential 8 Flex Medium (Cat. No. A2858501) were stained with the indicated Thermo Scientific DyLight dye–conjugated primary antibodies. Left: DyLight 488–conjugated anti-SSEA5 (Cat. No. MA1-144-D488, green) and DyLight 650–conjugated anti-SSEA4 (Cat. No. MA1-021-D650, red). Middle: DyLight 488–conjugated anti-Lin28 (MA1-016-D488). Right: DyLight 650–conjugated anti-Sox20 (MA1-014-D650). Nuclear DNA was stained with Invitrogen DAPI (Cat. No. D1306).

Flow cytometry analysis of C57BL/6 mouse bone marrow cells using anti–mouse Ly-6A/E PE antibody (Cat. No. A18486) and anti–mouse CD117 (c-kit) APC (Cat. No. A18622).

Flow cytometry analysis

For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.