Biotium's New Cell Barcoding Kit Streamlines Flow Cytometry with 15-Sample, Single-Tube Multiplexing

ViaPlex enables fluorescent barcoding of up to 15 cell populations in a single tube to reduce reagent use, save time, and increase throughput for flow cytometry workflows

19 March 2026 -- California, US -- Biotium, a leading provider of fluorescent reagents and kits for life science research, announces the release of the ViaPlex 2-Color Cell Barcoding Kit. Combining fluorescent staining with two reactive dyes, the ViaPlex kit allows researchers to label and combine up to 15 distinct cell populations for multiplex analysis in a single tube, reducing reagent consumption and sample running time without compromising data quality.

As demand for faster, more cost-effective drug discovery and immunology workflows continues to accelerate, cell barcoding is a potential tool for laboratories looking to maximize throughput without sacrificing data quality. After barcoding with the ViaPlex Cell Barcoding Kit, labeled cell populations can be combined into a single tube for antibody staining and later distinguished during flow cytometry analysis. Cell barcoding allows for high throughput screening and improves sample-to-sample consistency while reducing technical variations between samples. Biotium’s new kit contains two cell-permeant reactive fluorescent dyes, ViaPlex 405 Barcoding Dye for the 405 nm laser/Pacific Blue filter, and ViaPlex 488 Barcoding Dye for the 488 nm laser/FITC filter, used at different concentrations to generate a 15-plex barcoding matrix, with an optional 16th sample possible with compensation.

"The ViaPlex Cell Barcoding Kit is an exciting new product that should be very useful for researchers doing drug screening or other cellular screening by flow," says Dr. Alexis Madrid, Assistant Director of Biotium’s Bioscience department.

The barcode labeling is compatible with surface and intracellular antibody staining workflows, and barcoding can be performed either before or after cell treatment to accommodate a wide range of experimental designs. Unlike many other barcoding methods, ViaPlex™ labeling does not require fixation or permeabilization, enabling assays on live cells. The covalent dye labeling also remains stable if cells are later fixed and permeabilized for intracellular detection.

Key Advantages of the ViaPlex™ 2-Color Cell Barcoding Kit:

• Combine up to 15 cell samples in a single staining reaction
• Optional 16th barcode with stain-specific compensation
• Save time and reagents with fewer flow samples
• Improve sample to sample consistency
• Compatible with surface and intracellular staining
• Works with live cells, fixation optional after barcoding
• Covalent fluorescent dyes provide stable labeling and clean population separation
• For 405 nm (Pacific Blue) and 488 nm (FITC) channels.

The ViaPlex Cell Barcoding Kit expands Biotium’s portfolio of high-performance reagents for flow cytometry, providing researchers with a convenient and cost-effective solution for multiplex sample analysis and high-throughput experimental workflows.

For more information about the ViaPlex 2-Color Cell Barcoding Kit, please visit the product page. Biotium also offers a broad selection of antibodies and cellular stains for flow cytometry, including validated Biotium Choice Antibodies with CF Dyes against common immune targets and Live-or-Dye Fixable Viability Stains for robust dead cell labeling in 18 colors.

About Biotium
Biotium is a leading life science reagent manufacturer and supplier devoted to providing high-quality and innovative fluorescent tools that fuel scientific discovery. Our collaborative team of experienced chemists and biologists, who are at the forefront of fluorescent dye design, apply chemistry-based principles toward producing solutions for unmet challenges in life science and medical research. Since its founding in 2001, Biotium has developed over 30 patented technologies that have been licensed out to leading life science technology companies worldwide. Visit: biotium.com/