Sea Block® Blocking Buffer

A non-mammalian blocking buffer for ELISA, Western Blot, IHC & Fluorescence

Sea Block® is a fish-based blocking solution engineered for researchers and diagnostic laboratories looking to improve their ELISA, Western Blot, IHC & fluorescence assays. By leveraging fish-derived proteins, Sea Block® reduces the noise and cross-reaction associated with mammalian samples, delivering a more reliable, cost-effective alternative that ensures clearer, high-quality results.

Starting at $38 USD for 250 ml.  Contact us for large volume pricing, availability, and custom formulations.

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Key Advantages

• Reliable Results: Eliminates the risk of mammalian pathogen contamination offering clearer results compared to traditional bovine-derived formulations
• Cost-Effective & Readily Available: Our sources of high-quality fish proteins are not impacted by the viruses that make cattle prices and populations so volatile, a more affordable alternative with a steady supply chain ensuring consistency in price and product.
• Enhanced Performance: Achieves a superior signal-to-noise ratio and heightened sensitivity.
• Minimized Cross-Species Interaction: Delivers high specificity in ELISA, Western Blot, and IHC assays.
• Humane Sourcing: Fish-based formula offers an ethical option over mammalian-based alternatives such as bovine, horse, or goat-derived buffers.
• Choice of Protein Constituents: Derived from plasma or serum.
• Convenient-Formulations: Available as a ready-to-use solution or a 10X concentrate.
• Buffer Choice: Choose between PBS-based or TRIS-based solutions
• Specifications: 0.22 µm filtered, pH 7.4 (±0.1), protein concentration of 0.8 mg/ml.

Applications

• ELISA: Malaria [5], Foot-and-mouth disease [2], Bovine RSV [3]
• Western Blot: Pancreatic cancer [7), COVID-19 [8]
• Immunoblot (IR Detection): Sepsis-induced immunoparalysis [4]
• Immunofluorescence: Lyme disease [1]
• Immunohistochemistry (IHC): Pancreatic cancer [6], Multiple Sclerosis [9]

Comparison in Western Blots

Technical summary of western blot experiments comparing two formulations of Sea Block blocking solution to milk solution and bovine serum albumin (BSA) using a Selenoprotein K (Sel K) protein sample. Read more here.

Source: Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) responsibly farmed in the USA
Shelf Life:  PBS- based (1 year); TRIS- based (3 months); Storage: 4-8^oC

References

1. Davis MM, Brock AM, DeHart TG, Boribong BP, Lee K, McClune ME, et al. (2021). The peptidoglycan-associated protein NapA plays an important role in the envelope integrity and in the pathogenesis of the lyme disease spirochete. PLoS Pathog 17(5): e1009546.
2. Gordon L, Mabbott N, Wells J, Kulik L, Juleff N, Charleston B, et al. (2022). Foot-and mouth disease virus localization on follicular dendritic cells and sustained induction of neutralizing antibodies is dependent on binding to complement receptors (CR2/CR1). PLoS Pathog 18(5): e1009942.
3. Hägglund S, Näslund K, Svensson A, Lefverman C, Enül H, Pascal L, et al. (2022). Longitudinal study of the immune response and memory following natural bovine respiratory syncytial virus infections in cattle of different age. PLoS ONE 17(9): e0274332.
4. Jensen IJ, Winborn CS, Fosdick MG, Shao P, Tremblay MM, Shan Q, et al. (2018). Polymicrobial sepsis influences NK-cell-mediated immunity by diminishing NK-cell-intrinsic receptor-mediated effector responses to viral ligands or infections. PLoS Pathog 14(10): e1007405.
5. Joyner CJ, Brito CFA, Saney CL, Joice Cordy R, Smith ML, Lapp SA, et al. (2019). Humoral immunity prevents clinical malaria during Plasmodium relapses without eliminating gametocytes. PLoS Pathog 15(9): e1007974.
6. Pinkert-Leetsch D, Frohn J, Ströbel P, Alves F, Salditt T, Missbach-Guentner J (2023). Three-dimensional analysis of human pancreatic cancer specimens by phase-contrast based X-ray tomography – the next dimension of diagnosis. Cancer Imaging 23, 43 (2023).
7. Puls TJ, Tan X, Whittington CF, Voytik-Harbin SL (2017). 3D collagen fibrillar microstructure guides pancreatic cancer cell phenotype and serves as a critical design parameter for phenotypic models of EMT. PLoS ONE 12(11): e0188870.
8. Rihn SJ, Merits A, Bakshi S, Turnbull ML, Wickenhagen A, Alexander AJT, et al. (2021). A plasmid DNA-launched SARS-CoV-2 reverse genetics system and coronavirus toolkit for COVID19 research. PLoS Biol 19(2): e3001091.
9. Tokarska N, Naniong JMA, Johnston JM, Salapa HE, Muir GD, Levin MC, Popescu BF, Verge VMK (2023). Acute intermittent hypoxia alters disease course and promotes CNS repair including resolution of inflammation and remyelination in the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis model of MS. GLIA 71(8): p. 2045-2066.