BD Cell Preparation & Separation Reagents (PBMC, Magnetic, RBC Lysis)

You need clean, consistent cell suspensions before any meaningful flow cytometry or functional assay can happen. This collection brings together BD’s most used preparation and separation tools—from closed-tube PBMC isolation (CPT™) to magnetic cell enrichment (BD IMag™), RBC lysis, and fixation/permeabilization—so you can standardize pre-analytics and get reproducible data. As an authorized distributor, Iright provides diversified BD product options and responsive quotes to match your lab’s workflow.

Intro: BD Cell Preparation & Separation for Flow Cytometry

Preparing samples should reduce variability, not add it. Here you’ll find practical ways to move from whole blood or mixed suspensions to target cell populations with high viability and preserved phenotype, ready for flow panels, culture, or single-cell readouts. Iright can help you compare formats, check lead times, and ensure compatibility across your BD workflow.

Product Family Overview: CPT™ PBMC Isolation, BD IMag™, RBC Lysis, Fix/Perm

BD’s portfolio covers the main pre-analytic routes you’ll likely choose in daily work. The closed CPT™ tube simplifies PBMC isolation inside the primary collection tube; BD IMag™ enables positive or negative magnetic selection; RBC lysis cleans up whole blood after staining; and Cytofix/Cytoperm™ supports robust intracellular staining with preserved scatter characteristics. Together, these options let you balance purity, throughput, and downstream requirements.

Selection Guide: Sample Type → Target Cells → Method (CPT, RBC Lysis, Magnetic)

Every protocol starts with constraints. Use this quick logic to choose a starting path, then refine with product-level specs.

• Whole blood → PBMC for immunophenotyping or biobanking: choose CPT™ (sodium citrate or heparin) to separate MNCs inside a sealed tube; this reduces open handling and standardizes recovery.
  
• Whole blood, rapid leukocyte cleanup post-stain: use BD Pharm Lyse™ RBC lysing buffer (10×, ammonium-chloride based) to remove erythrocytes while keeping leukocytes viable.
  
• Enrich a subset (e.g., CD4 T cells) for function assays: use BD IMag™ enrichment sets with the BD IMag™ Cell Separation Magnet for untouched (negative) or positive selection, preserving surface epitopes for multicolor flow.
  
• Intracellular targets (cytokines, TFs): fix and permeabilize with BD Cytofix/Cytoperm™ solutions or kit to maintain fluorescence and panel resolution.

Tip: When you need functional readouts, prefer negative selection (untouched cells) over positive selection to minimize receptor engagement artifacts. BD IMag™ offers validated “-DM” enrichment sets for common human subsets.

Solution Comparison: CPT™ vs Ficoll, Positive vs Negative Selection, Fix/Perm

Choosing among routes often comes down to consistency, cell quality, and hands-on time. The table highlights practical differences you’ll feel at the bench.

Popular Products & Key Specs: CPT™ Tubes, BD IMag™ Magnet, RBC Lysis, Cytofix/Cytoperm™

Below are representative, high-demand items with their BD catalog numbers (verified against BD). Use them as starting points for method setup and ordering.

Closed-tube PBMC isolation (CPT™):

• BD Vacutainer® CPT™—Sodium Citrate, 4 mL (13×100 mm) — Cat. No. 362760. Sealed glass tube with gel barrier and Ficoll™ Hypaque™ solution; standardized PBMC separation in primary tube.
  
• BD Vacutainer® CPT™—Sodium Citrate, 8 mL (16×125 mm) — Cat. No. 362761. Larger draw volume for higher PBMC yield under the same closed workflow.
  
• BD Vacutainer® CPT™—Sodium Heparin, 8 mL — Cat. No. 362753. Heparinized variant for labs preferring heparin over citrate.
  

Magnetic cell separation (BD IMag™):

• BD IMag™ Cell Separation Magnet — Cat. No. 552311. Permanent rare-earth magnet rack for 12×75 mm or 17×100 mm tubes; enables fast positive/negative selections with BD IMag™ particles.
  
• BD IMag™ Human CD4 T Lymphocyte Enrichment Set-DM — Cat. No. 557939. Reagent set for negative selection of CD4 T cells from PBMCs, designed for use on the IMag magnet.
  
• BD IMag™ Human Naïve CD4 T Cell Enrichment Set-DM — Cat. No. 558521. Untouched enrichment of naïve CD4⁺ T cells via repeat negative selection cycles.
  

RBC lysis and intracellular staining:

• BD Pharm Lyse™ Lysing Buffer (10×), 100 mL — Cat. No. 555899. Ammonium-chloride RBC lysis; leukocytes remain viable for subsequent analysis.
  
• BD Cytofix/Cytoperm™ Fixation/Permeabilization Solution Kit, 250 tests — Cat. No. 554714. Kit includes Cytofix/Cytoperm™ solution (Cat. 554722) and Perm/Wash (Cat. 554723) for robust intracellular staining.

Workflow & Best Practices: PBMC Isolation with CPT™ and BD IMag™ Steps

Consistent results come from reducing open handling and calibrating magnets/centrifuges. The following high-level flows reflect BD’s guidance; always follow the IFU of each product.

CPT™ PBMC isolation (closed system): Draw whole blood directly into the CPT™ tube; gently invert per IFU; centrifuge so the gel forms a barrier between MNCs (in plasma) and RBC/granulocytes; transport or decant the MNC-rich fraction for washes and counts. This sealed approach lowers manual variability versus open Ficoll layering and is well suited to recurring clinical research collections.

BD IMag™ negative selection (example: CD4 T cells): Label PBMCs with the appropriate “-DM” enrichment reagents; place tubes in the 552311 magnet to retain labeled unwanted cells; harvest the untouched fraction; repeat selection if needed to increase yield for naïve populations. Keep temperatures and timings consistent; avoid over-mixing to preserve epitopes.

RBC lysis (post-stain cleanup): Dilute Pharm Lyse™ to 1×, treat stained whole blood to lyse RBCs, then wash and acquire. You should see improved separation of lymphocytes from debris on forward/side scatter while maintaining leukocyte viability for further processing.

Intracellular staining: Fix and permeabilize with Cytofix/Cytoperm™ solutions (or kit) before adding intracellular antibodies; this chemistry is widely used to stabilize fluor signals and epitope accessibility for cytokines and transcription factors.

FAQs: PBMC Isolation, Magnetic Selection, RBC Lysis, Fixation/Permeabilization

To save you time, here are concise answers to questions we hear most often—optimized around search intent and real-world lab needs.

Q1. CPT™ vs open Ficoll—why choose CPT?
CPT™ performs density separation inside the primary tube, simplifying handling and reducing operator-to-operator variability. It’s ideal for multi-site or high-throughput research where reproducibility matters, with 4 mL (362760) and 8 mL (362761) citrate options and an 8 mL heparin tube (362753).

Q2. When should I use negative vs positive magnetic selection?
Use negative selection for “untouched” cells when functional readouts or receptor integrity are critical; use positive selection when you need maximal purity fast and receptor modulation is acceptable. BD IMag™ offers validated enrichment sets for both approaches, used on the 552311 magnet.

Q3. Does Pharm Lyse™ fix cells?
No. Pharm Lyse™ is an ammonium-chloride lysis buffer without fixatives; leukocytes remain viable after RBC lysis, which is helpful before culture or further manipulation. Fixation/permeabilization for intracellular targets is a separate step with Cytofix/Cytoperm™.

Q4. What’s in the Cytofix/Cytoperm™ kit vs solutions?
The 554714 kit bundles Cytofix/Cytoperm™ solution (554722) and Perm/Wash (554723) for convenient intracellular workflows; you can also source solutions individually depending on throughput and panel design.

Q5. Are CPT™ tubes IVD?
CPT™ is intended for the collection of whole blood and the subsequent separation of mononuclear cells for in vitro diagnostic examination—always verify local regulatory labeling on your region’s BD page and follow the IFU.

Talk to Iright

Tell us your sample type, target cells, and downstream assay. We’ll confirm the exact BD SKU (volume, anticoagulant, subset kit), share current lead times, and recommend accessories (racks, conicals, filters) that keep your prep consistent. If you’re building a multi-site program, we can align CPT™ formats and IMag™ sets across locations for streamlined SOPs.