Membrane arrays use nitrocellulose membranes spotted with capture antibodies. Chemiluminescence detects the signal, similar to a western blot. They give semi-quantitative results suitable for comparing relative differences between samples. Glass-slide arrays use fluorescent detection. In quantitative formats, they include on-slide standard curves that support absolute protein concentration measurements.
Antibody & Protein Arrays
Membrane Antibody Arrays for Semi-Quantitative Cytokine Profiling
Membrane antibody arrays for semi-quantitative cytokine, chemokine and growth factor screening
Membrane antibody arrays let you screen multiple cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors at the same time from serum, plasma, or conditioned media. You do not need dedicated quantitative equipment for your workflow. These sandwich-based arrays print capture antibodies at defined spots on nitrocellulose membranes. Your sample is incubated with the membrane, then a matched biotinylated detection antibody cocktail is added, forming an antibody-antigen-antibody sandwich. Signal is developed using streptavidin-HRP with a chemiluminescent or colorimetric substrate. This gives you a visual output comparable to a western blot exposure.
Membrane arrays cover panels ranging from as few as 10 targets up to 274 simultaneous analytes in a single membrane. The format needs no special scanner, so it works in any lab with your standard darkroom or imaging equipment. Sample volume requirements are low and comparable to a single ELISA. Exact volumes are panel-specific, see the product datasheet for your panel. Results are semi-quantitative. Spot density reflects relative protein expression and lets you directly compare conditions run on the same membrane, rather than reading absolute concentration values.
When to Use Membrane vs. Other Array Formats
- If you need a quick qualitative or semi-quantitative cytokine screen without investing in a fluorescence scanner, choose membrane arrays. They use standard chemiluminescence imaging equipment you already have.
- If you need absolute quantification of each detected protein, move to sandwich-based quantitative glass-slide arrays or fluorescence glass-slide formats. These include standard curves per analyte, giving you full quantitation.
- If you need to profile up to 274 proteins from a single sample in one experiment, choose larger membrane panels. They provide the widest semi-quantitative coverage available to you in this format.
- If your sample is limiting, glass-slide formats such as Quantibody work with as little as 50 ul of sample. Confirm exact requirements in the product datasheet.
Applications
Tumour microenvironment profiling
Membrane arrays characterise cytokine profiles in immuno-oncology research, giving a rapid snapshot of the secreted protein landscape.
Treatment-response comparison
Spot density readouts compare mediator secretion between treatment conditions on one membrane, flagging which analytes shift before individual assays.
Wound-healing and infection models
Chemokine gradients across wound-healing or infection time courses map from supernatants or lysates, no dedicated quantitative kit needed.
Pre-screening before targeted validation
A broad cytokine snapshot flags candidates for confirmation by ELISA, saving sample versus testing every target alone.
Screening in standard-equipped labs
Chemiluminescent detection runs membrane arrays on standard darkroom kit, skipping the scanner that glass-slide arrays need.
Confirming hits with orthogonal quantitation
Analytes that shift on a membrane array get followed up with cytometric bead arrays for absolute values.
Product Catalog
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Membrane-based Arrays (C-Series)
Membrane Antibody Arrays for Semi-Quantitative Cytokine and Growth Factor Screening
Frequently asked questions
Membrane arrays are semi-quantitative. Signal intensity correlates with analyte abundance and allows relative comparison between samples run on the same membrane or under identical conditions. Standard curves are not included for every analyte. For absolute quantification, sandwich-based quantitative array formats or individual ELISAs are more appropriate.
Cell culture conditioned media, serum, plasma, urine, CSF, and tissue lysates have all been used with membrane cytokine arrays. Sample volume requirements vary by panel size, so follow the datasheet recommendation for each array. For complex matrices such as serum, the sample may need dilution to reduce background.
Panel sizes range from a handful of targets to over 200 proteins in a single experiment. Larger panels use multiple spot positions on a single membrane. The membrane is blocked, incubated with sample, then probed with a biotinylated antibody cocktail and streptavidin-HRP before chemiluminescent imaging. Analytes are detected in parallel at spatially separated spots on the membrane.
Parent category: Protein arrays
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