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Overview
BD OptiBuild™ On-Demand Reagents make it easy for you to gain access to the antibodies you need on an ever-growing catalog of dye combinations. Whether you want to minimize compensation or add new markers to complex experiments, BD OptiBuild™ Reagents provide flexibility to evaluate new colors and simplify your panel design.
Unlike traditional large-scale, expensive custom conjugates, these reagents come in convenient 50-µg vials and can be ordered the same way as any catalog reagent. Products are made especially for you, on-demand and typically ship within 3 to 5 business days.*
Click to view BD OptiBuild™ Reagents converted to off-the-shelf products.
*In the continental U.S., Canada, China and Europe.
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OptiBuild Overview
Explore how our vast menu of BD OptiBuild™ Reagents can provide flexibility and convenience for your panel design.
Sample Data
The on-demand nature of BD OptiBuild™ Reagents is the result of years of testing and analysis. We can offer robust reagents that provide a valuable alternative to traditional reagents. The sample data below tell a story of the journey to expand our portfolio of reagents to simplify panel design.
Panel design is critically important to generating high-quality data. Principles of panel design dictate the optimal matching of antigen density with fluorochrome brightness, yet at least one required reagent is unavailable as a standard catalog item for approximately 20% of panels designed today. Access to the right reagents can improve resolution and data quality, ultimately leading to deeper scientific insights through your research.
Expanding options for multicolor panels
BD OptiBuild™ Reagents provide choice so that you have multiple options for your markers of interest. BD OptiBuild™ and BD Horizon™ Reagents complement each other so that you can optimize your panel with a reliable reagent in the color you need.

CD21 fluorescence on multiple formats of BD Horizon Brilliant™ and BD OptiBuild™ Reagents

CD11b fluorescence on multiple formats of BD Horizon Brilliant™ and BD OptiBuild™ Reagents

KLRG1 fluorescence on multiple formats of BD Horizon Brilliant™ and BD OptiBuild™ Reagents
BD Horizon™ BB700: A brighter alternative to PerCP-Cy5.5. The BD OptiBuild™ Reagent portfolio now includes BD Horizon Brilliant™ Blue 700. BB700 was developed as a brighter alternative to PerCP-Cy5.5.

Human CD166 Comparison

Human CD23 Comparison

Mouse CD162 Comparison

Mouse CD38 Comparison

Panel design considerations
Reagent choice brings flexibility to your research, but it’s important to keep in mind the BD Horizon™ Dye principles of matching antigen density with fluorochrome brightness to design optimized panels. Depending on your applications and research goals, some dyes might resolve your populations better than others. The Research Applications team can help refine panel design. For inquiries, email ResearchApplications@bd.com or contact your local reagent support team.
CD21 expression on multiple formats of BD Horizon Brilliant™ and BD OptiBuild™ Reagents.


Although BD OptiBuild™ Reagents differ from the way our traditional reagents are manufactured and quality-control tested, these reagents maintain the high performance and quality standards of the BD Horizon Brilliant™ Dyes.

Mouse CD25 direct comparison

Mouse CD31 direct comparison

Mouse CD184 direct comparison

Human CD28 direct comparison


Human CD14 direct comparison

Human CD33 direct comparison

Human CD4 / BD Horizon™ BB700 direct comparison

Human CD4 / BD Horizon™ BV480 comparison

BD OptiBuild™ Reagent performance in multicolor panels
BD OptiBuild™ Reagents can be used to redesign or expand upon existing panels that have various combinations of fluorochromes and antibodies. BD OptiBuild™ Reagents have been extensively tested in multicolor cocktails to demonstrate reproducible results compared to traditional reagents.

Human 8-color T cell panel direct comparison with and without BD OptiBuild™ Reagents

Optimized multicolor panel designed with BD OptiBuild™ Reagents

Human 12-color NK cell inhibitory receptor panel designed with BD OptiBuild™ Reagents
Fluorochrome |
Primary Laser Line (nm) |
Marker |
Clone |
Volume/Test |
---|---|---|---|---|
BD Horizon™ BV421 | 450 | CD158f | UP-R1 | 5 µL |
BD OptiBuild™ BV480 | 450 | CD85j | GHI/75 | 5 µL |
BD OptiBuild™ BV605 | 450 | CD158b | CH-L | 2.5 µL |
BD OptiBuild™ BV711 | 450 | CD94 | HP-3D9 | 0.15 µL |
BD OptiBuild™ BV786 | 450 | NKG2a | 131411 | 1.25 µL |
BD Pharmingen™ FITC | 488 | CD57 | NK1 | 20 µL |
BD Pharmingen™ PE | 488 | CD158e1 (NKB1) | DX9 | 20 µL |
BD Horizon™ BB700 | 488 | CD27 | M-T271 | 5 µL |
BD Pharmingen™ PE-Cy7 | 488 | CD56 | B159 | 5 µL |
BD Pharmingen™ APC | 640 | CD158a | HP-3E4 | 5 µL |
BD Pharmingen™ Alexa Fluor™ 700 | 640 | CD16 | 3G8 | 5 µL |
BD Pharmingen™ APC-H7 | 640 | CD3 | SK7 | 5 µL |
Characterization of human NK cells using the NK cell inhibitory receptor panel.
Representative analysis of PBMCs isolated from a healthy human donor. Lymphocytes were first identified based on light scatter properties (not shown). CD3⁻ non-T cells were gated prior to the identification of two major NK subsets: CD56brightCD16⁻ (light green, top histogram) and CD56dimCD16⁺ (dark green, bottom histogram) cells. The expression of differentiation markers and inhibitory receptors was assessed in the two NK cell subsets and revealed expected expression patterns. The sample was acquired on a 3-laser, 12-color BD FACSLyric™ Flow Cytometer. Data were analyzed using FlowJo™ v10 Software.

Lot-to-lot consistency
BD OptiBuild™ Reagents are made on demand, which means that every reagent vial is equivalent to a new batch. We know that consistent performance is of the utmost importance for the reliability of research results, so the manufacturing process was also extensively tested for lot-to-lot consistency.

Overlapping histograms of six lots of Ms CD8a BV421 at three concentrations

The data above show multiple conjugation events using the same batches of dye and antibody, demonstrating highly reproducible performance. We also assessed the impact of other potential sources of variability by using different batches of dye and antibody. These reagents will continually perform with minimal lot-to-lot variation so that you can be confident in your results in a multisite or longitudinal study.

Three overlapping histograms of mouse CD8a BV786

Three overlapping histograms of human CD4 BV421

Three overlapping histograms of mouse CD28 BV650

Three overlapping histograms of human CD4 BB700


Three overlapping histograms of human CD4 BUV395

Three overlapping histograms of mouse CD8a BV480

Three overlapping histograms of mouse CD28 BV510

Three overlapping histograms of human CD19 BV605


Three overlapping histograms of mouse CD28 BV650

Three overlapping histograms of human CD4 BV711

Three overlapping histograms of mouse CD8a BV786

Leveraging the principles of antigen density and relative fluorochrome brightness, BD OptiBuild™ Reagents have been carefully selected to ensure that they can be readily integrated into your ongoing research. The manufacturing process was rigorously validated to ensure that every conjugation produces an active and specific reagent. As with any custom product, there is a minimal possibility that certain permutations do not perform optimally for biological reasons. If you encounter any issues with the performance of these reagents, please contact our Research Applications team.
BD OptiBuild™ Reagent data on these clone/format combinations are shown for comparative purposes only, and they are not available for sale. There is no overlap between the BD Horizon™ and BD OptiBuild™ Reagent catalogs.
Frequently Asked Questions
BD OptiBuild™ Reagents are made on demand, which means that every reagent vial is equivalent to a new batch.
If you would like more than 50 µg (1 vial) of the same lot, please contact BDB_Custom_Orders@BD.com. The minimum order size is 500 µg for custom BD OptiBuild™ Reagent lot sizes.
Your reagents are made once you place an order and typically ship within 3 business days in the U.S., Canada, China and EU. For other regions, please contact your local BD representative for appropriate timelines. If more than 10 vials of an individual reagent are ordered, it may take longer than 3 business days to fulfill the order.
No. Placing an order instantly activates the on-demand production of your reagent. Therefore, orders cannot be canceled once the production begins.
BD OptiBuild™ Reagents feature a unique portfolio of products to be available on demand. If you need additional support on substitute availability, please contact our Research Applications team.
Data can be found on our sample data section. There is also a small subset of BD OptiBuild™ products that have data available on individual product pages. While we are working on adding more data, if what you are seeking is not available online, please contact our Research Applications team for more information.
The BD OptiBuild™ Reagent production process underwent stringent testing and validation with thousands of reagents to assure that it generates a high-quality conjugate with consistent performance and specific binding activity. Examples of lot-to-lot consistency can found in the sample data section.
If you encounter any issues with reagent performance, contact our Research Applications team . The team can provide any available data and discuss it with you to help resolve your issue.
We recommend titrating the reagent in the test setting you will be using to determine the optimal staining concentration for your specific model systems. Please contact our Research Applications support team for additional information or watch the titration video below.
Watch titration video
Yes. Whenever you use two or more BD Horizon Brilliant™ Dyes (multiple BD OptiBuild™ or in combination with other BD Horizon Brilliant™ Reagents) we recommend the use of Brilliant Stain Buffer.
Existing BD Horizon™ Isotype Controls are ideal for use with BD OptiBuild™ Reagents. The existing isotype controls were evaluated during development and found to perform effectively with all reagents.
Known adverse effects of free dye have been evaluated and extensively tested in BD OptiBuild™ Reagents, including in multicolor experiments, and have not been witnessed to any extent.
BD OptiBuild™ Reagents have not been tested for use in imaging. However, we have performed limited image testing on frozen mouse spleen sections and have demonstrated initial feasibility.
BD OptiBuild™ Reagents do not require any additional considerations that are not already taken into account when determining buffers and protocols for traditional research reagents. Standard staining buffers such as BD Pharmingen™ Stain Buffer BSA or BD Pharmingen™ Stain Buffer FBS are recommended for use with BD OptiBuild™ products. However, when using two or more BD Horizon™ family of reagents in a multicolor experiment, it is recommended to use BD Horizon™ Brilliant Stain Buffers.
Yes, BD OptiBuild™ Reagents are compatible with standard fix/perm buffers recommended by BD.
In an effort to minimize our environmental footprint, we do not to include a hard copy of the technical data sheet (TDS) in BD OptiBuild™ products. A printable version of the TDS is available for every BD OptiBuild™ Reagent on the Data Sheets section of the product details page.
There are over 800 cell surface markers available in the BD OptiBuild™ family and we continue to add more over time. Should there be interest in a cell surface marker not currently in our catalog, please contact your local BD representative.
Currently, intracellular markers are not part of the BD OptiBuild™ Reagent offering, however we are continuously evaluating our portfolio. Should you have a specific request of IC markers, please contact your local BD representative.
Please visit our website in the future to keep updated as our catalog grows.
We do not have every antibody-dye combination available in the portfolio of BD OptiBuild™ Reagents. If there is interest in a particular antibody-flurochrome conjugate, please contact our customs group at BDB_Custom_Orders@bd.com, or visit the custom solutions page.

Related Products
We know that reagent accessibility is important to helping you reach your scientific goals. BD OptiBuild™ Reagents expand your panel design possibilities by using existing antibodies and dyes in combinations not readily available through the standard BD Bioscience reagent portfolio. Our vast menu gives you flexibility in panel design and helps you avoid a timely redesign.
Learn more about our fluorochromes and fluorochrome-conjugated antibodies below.
(EXCITATION SOURCE/EMISSION MAX)

For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic or therapeutic procedures.
Alexa Fluor is a trademark of Life Technologies Corporation.
Cy is a trademark of Global Life Sciences Solutions Germany GmbH or an affiliate doing business as Cytiva.
CF is a trademark of Biotium, Inc.
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