What are compensation beads?
Compensation beads capture species-specific antibodies conjugated to fluorophores and other types of reagents. The purpose of these beads is to set voltages and gating parameters for obtaining accurate fluorescence signal.
Beads are recommended when:
- Multiple fluorophore emissions overlap in the same detector (Figure 1)
- Poorly expressed markers do not express a large distinction between positive and negative populations
- Limited amount of sample is available to setup/run controls and collect enough events for meaningful data
- Creating large multicolor immunophenotyping panels to set accurate single-color compensation
- When performing multiple plates or large experiments, bead controls will help with standardization and save sample
Use the table below to determine which compensation bead is correct for your experiment.
On this page:
Compensation bead selection guide
Consideration needs to be taken when picking a compensation bead to set positive and negative signals for antibodies in a flow cytometry experiment. We offer several compensation beads specifically designed for flow cytometry antibodies, fluorescent proteins, and reagents.
