ALDEFLUOR™ Kit

The ALDEFLUOR™ reagent system is a non-immunological method to identify human stem/progenitor cells on the basis of their aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity. High ALDH expression has been reported for normal and cancer precursor cells of various lineages, including hematopoietic, mammary, endothelial, mesenchymal, and neural. Cells expressing high levels of ALDH become brightly fluorescent (ALDHbr) and can be identified and enumerated using a standard flow cytometer or isolated by cell sorting for further purification and characterization.
The use of an internal cellular enzyme for identifying and isolating stem and progenitor cells provides an alternative to the more traditional method of staining with antibodies against cell surface antigens.