EMD Millipore, the life science business of Merck of Darmstadt, Germany, has introduced the new AldeRed ALDH Detection Kit for identifying and isolating cancer stem cells.

EMD Millipore has entered into an exclusive license with Johns Hopkins University (JHU) to commercialize an innovative tool that provides cancer and stem cell scientists with new capabilities for live cell isolation and characterization. The AldeRed reagent is used to label cancer stem cells with a red fluorescent dye, making it possible to distinguish cancer stem cells in live cell populations where specific identification was previously impossible.

ALDH, a cancer stem cell marker enzyme, causes the AldeRed reagent to fluoresce in the far-red spectrum, allowing the cells to be identified and isolated with concurrent use of green fluorescent cell lines, transgenic animals and reporter assays. Previous ALDH reporters exhibited green fluorescence, which made it difficult to identify positive cells in an otherwise green fluorescent background.

“To support the search for cancer's cure, it is EMD Millipore’s responsibility to seek the most innovative technologies being developed by groundbreaking researchers and make these tools accessible to scientists globally,” said Udit Batra, president and CEO of EMD Millipore. “Our agreement with Johns Hopkins University to commercialize the AldeRed technology is an exciting step toward fulfilling that possibility.”