BD Biosciences Clontech, a unit of BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), today announced the launch of two novel fluorescent proteins, BD Living Colors™ AcGFP1 and DsRed-Monomer. These novel, monomeric fluorescent proteins can be used in many areas of research, including gene expression assays and fusion proteins for signal transduction analysis. They are ideal for multicolor applications in fluorescence microscopy (such as BD Pathway™ bioimager) and flow cytometry (such as BD FACS™ analyzer).

DsRed-Monomer Fluorescent Protein is the first commercially available monomeric red fluorescent protein. It is a newly engineered mutant of BD Biosciences Clontech’s red fluorescent protein from Discosoma sp. reef coral and retains similar spectral characteristics. The DsRed-Monomer protein has been validated with a wide variety of fusion proteins. It matures rapidly, is extremely stable, and its emission spectra is ideal for multiplexing with other fluorescent proteins in live cell assays.

AcGFP1 was derived from the jellyfish Aequorea coerulescens and is a novel alternative to enhanced GFP (EGFP), which has been discontinued due to the expiration of a product license. The AcGFP1 vectors encode a unique green fluorescent protein that has been engineered to provide excellent performance when expressed as a fusion with a gene of interest in mammalian cells.

“We are excited about the opportunities that these two monomers will create for the research community,” stated Mark Lewis, Vice President and General Manager of BD Biosciences Clontech.“Combined with our existing portfolio of Living Colors™ fluorescent proteins, the red and green monomers enable multiplexing in living cells beyond anything available on the market today. As the first to commercialize fluorescent proteins to the life science research market, BD Biosciences Clontech will remain the pioneer and innovative leader in fluorescent proteins.”

Visit BD Biosciences Clontech to learn more about these new fluorescent protein technologies.

About BD

BD is a medical technology company that serves healthcare institutions, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, industry and the general public.BD manufactures and sells a broad range of medical supplies, devices, laboratory equipment and diagnostic products. For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2004, BD reported total revenues of $4.935 billion.

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