Invitrogen™ SafeCount™ Cell Viability Stain

Features of SafeCount Cell Viability Stain include:

• Non-carcinogenic formulation—provides a safer alternative for laboratory personnel while maintaining equivalent functionality for cell viability assessment
• Enhanced solution stability—does not precipitate during storage or use, unlike Trypan Blue which is prone to precipitation formation
• Equivalent staining mechanism—maintains the same exclusion dye principle for distinguishing viable from non-viable cells based on membrane integrity

Non-toxic safety profile minimizes hazardous material handling concerns

SafeCount Cell Viability Stain represents a significant advancement in cell viability assessment by addressing the inherent safety limitations of traditional Trypan Blue staining. Unlike Trypan Blue, which is known to be toxic to both people and cells and requires hazard label warnings, SafeCount stain is formulated to be non-toxic and carries no hazard label warnings. This fundamental difference in toxicity profile allows for simpler disposal procedures and, more importantly, provides non-toxic conditions for laboratory personnel. Minimizing hazardous material handling requirements reduces regulatory compliance burdens and enhances overall laboratory safety protocols.

Enhanced stability prevents precipitation-related counting errors

The formulation of SafeCount stain addresses a critical limitation observed with Trypan Blue, which is prone to precipitation over time or under certain storage conditions. These precipitates can form aggregates that may be erroneously counted as cells during analysis, leading to inaccurate measurements of both cell count and viability assessments. SafeCount stain's superior stability characteristics reduce this source of measurement error, ensuring more reliable and reproducible results throughout the product's shelf life.

Membrane integrity-based detection mechanism enables protocol integration

SafeCount stain functions as a membrane integrity dye that operates on the exclusion principle, making it compatible with existing cell counting workflows. The dye is specifically designed to be excluded from entering healthy cells with intact membranes, allowing these viable cells to appear opaque. In contrast, cells with compromised membranes permit SafeCount dye entry, causing these non-viable cells to appear dark. This membrane integrity exclusion method is identical to Trypan Blue, enabling SafeCount stain to serve as a direct replacement without requiring protocol modifications.

Streamlined application protocol optimizes workflow efficiency

The use of SafeCount stain follows a simplified two-step protocol designed for compatibility with automated counting systems. The procedure requires mixing 10 μL of SafeCount dye with 10 μL of cell sample, followed by analysis using the Countess 3 or 3FL automated cell counter. This straightforward approach maintains the ease of use expected from cell viability assays while enabling enhanced safety and stability benefits inherent to the SafeCount formulation.