Proteomics CRO: Bioanalytical Western Blot Services

WESTERN BLOT SERVICE

Boster Bio offers professional Western blotting services tailored for proteomics Western blot applications for biotech and pharma companies. Our service covers sample processing, blotting, quantitative imaging, data analysis and professional reporting.

Get a quote today if you want your Western blots done...

  1. in a WB-dedicated facility with streamlined workflow
  2. by experts with 20+ years WB experience
  3. in a fast and worry-free manner

Our technical experts stand ready to consult you every step of the way.

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Easy to work with and fast turnaround

Working with us is easy. Send us your samples and receive a professional report (see example at the end of the page) with comprehensive data. Our turnaround time is fast, usually within 1 week of receiving all materials.

Though most of our customers are biotech and pharma companies, our pricing is affordable enough that many academic labs have also hired us to handle their Western blots.

Western blotting for advanced customers

Our Western blotting technical experts have 3 decades of experience and have helped industry customers with IND filing, GMP release assays and various other highly demanding and sophisticated requirements. Contact us today to discuss your unique project requirements.

Service Highlights

expertise for success

20+ years of Western blot experience.

Pharma/DX insights

IND
GMP

Experience with IND and GMP projects.

US based service

Done in our proteomics lab in California.

Professional report

Get a comprehensive report that presents nicely infront of bosses and investors.

fast turnaround

1-2 weeks after receiving all materials.

quantitative analysis

Can perform quantitative analysis.

High sensitivity

Proprietary ECL enhances signal.

Low background

Proprietary blocking reagent lowers background.

Free Quote For Western Blot Services

Fill the form below to get a quote. Contact us at [email protected] for any questions.

Contact information

Experiment Options

Sample info

Sample 1

Reagents info

Reagent 1

Submit

OR: I do not have all the answers and I want to talk to someone!

Answer: Email [email protected] or book a meeting with us.

Service options explained

Quantification: We can normalize your target of interest's signal against either a loading control antibody or a fluorescent total protein stain to give quantitative result for your WB. This is included in the default package and selecting it does not affect pricing.


Total protein stain: in short, we need to use this option if we need to load more than 10ug of total proteins per lane, due to target protein expression being low in the samples. Total protein stain is a better alternative to using loading control antibodies for quantification. The main drawbacks for using loading control are that first the signal's linear range is too short and saturates easily, that if we load more than 10ug of total protein per lane it usually results in saturated loading control antibody signal and renders the data useless. Also your treatment to cells may affect your loading control gene's expression level, contrary to common assumption that loading control gene expression states constant, and more and more journals are starting to require evidence showing that the treatment does not affect loading control gene expressions. Total protein stain, on the other hand, has excellent linear range and is a more stable way to normalize in quantitative Western blotting. For more information on this matter, visit our blog: Total Protein Normalization Versus Loading Control Antibodies.


Antibody optimization: we will conduct a preliminary study using 3 different concentrations of your antibodies on positive samples to decide the best concentration to use for later experiments. The positive samples to use in optimization needs to be indicated in the sample manifest as "use for optimization". This is usually a necessary phase and only if the customer can provide exact dilution ratios to use can we skip this phase.


Return or dispose excess materials: The remaining samples and reagents be shipped back to you or disposed of. There are fees associated with both options


Sample type and processing requirements: different sample types require different processing. Details see below.

Protein Extraction Clarification* BCA
Cells Yes Yes Yes
Lysate No Yes Yes
Bone Tissue Yes (extra fee) Yes Yes
Tissue Yes Yes Yes
Cell Culture Supernatant No No Yes
Cell Pellet Yes Yes Yes
Plasma** No No No
Serum** No No No
Blood*** No No No
PBMC's No No No
Urin**** Afyon No Yes
Milk**** Afyon No Yes
Saliva**** Afyon No Yes

*Clarification: filtering the sample to get rid of cellular debris. Helps with reducing WB background.

**Serum and Plasma: 1-1.5uL of sample per lane, protein concentration assumed to be ~50mg/mL, need clarification if samples are lipemic

***Blood: need to spin down to serum/plasma, extra charge

****Low expression protein: Need to use Afyon kit to concentrate protein. Extra charge.


Sample replication: by default we assume all samples are tested in singlet. If you want technical replicates please tell us.


Sample role in experiment: the 3 most common sample roles in WB are:
1. used in optimization
2. used as positive or negative control
3. a regular sample, aka a Unknown


Special requirements: anything not covered in the SOW template and the sample manifest can be written here.

About Boster Bio

Company stats and facility shots

CiteAb Awards
Fastest Growing

30+ Years
antibody experience

60,000+
publications

Expertise
in Western blot

40,000+
antibodies made


How to order?

1. clarify Scope of work

Tell us what you would like to do in your Western blot experiment. Our form has detailed guidance to help you clarify all necessary details for your WB assay. You can book a meeting with us after submitting your inquiry.

2. Ship Samples and reagents

Follow the sample handling and shipping guidelines on this page: sample collection guidelines.

3. Get Results

In about 1 week, we will deliver a detailed report that includes the Western Blot results as well as the equipment, reagents, and protocol used.

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Western Blot Lab Service Workflow

Total Turnaround Time: 1-2 Weeks

  • Sample collection and shipping

    Western blotting's success depend on sample quality. Keep the samples fresh and avoiding protein degradation is necessary. It is also important to provide enough samples so there are ample proteins to load for each lane. The following guide details the collection, handling and shipping procedures of common sample types including plasma, serum, whole blood, tissue, cells, lysates and urine. It also details the shipping and labeling instructions, as well as shipping address and shipping time (do not ship on Thursday or Friday!).

    Read sample handling and shipping guidelines
  • Sample processing

    We offer full service for WB and can handle sample processing for you. If needed, we can perform protein extraction/lysis, sample filtration (which removes cell debris and is important for reducing non-specific reactions), and BCA. You can also do your own sample processing and send us lysates.

  • Phase 1: antibody Optimization

    Commercial antibodies are not always validated for every sample type. We usually start our project with primary antibody dilution optimization. By default we will test 3 concentrations of the primary antibody on positive samples. Please indicate on your sample manifest which samples should be used for optimization.

    If you prefer, we can also work with a dilution ratio that you have already optimized and skip this phase.

  • main experiments

    The main experiment(s) will run all your samples. If you have a particular experiment layout, please include it in your inquiry and we will follow it. By default we use 15 lane gels and load 10ug of total protein each lane. Therefore we can process up to 14 samples per gel and we charge by the number of gels run.

  • data analysis

    After the main experiments are done, we will generate a professional report (see sample report at the end of page) which contains the experiment data as well as the conditions of the experiment, and information about reagents and instruments used. Our Western blots can be quantitative at no additional cost.

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Case study

Project Scope

Activate the Target X pathway by stimulation and evaluate the inhibitory effects of various treatments. Assess the level of phospho-Target X by western blot.

Conclusion

Phosphorylation of Target X was induced by Stimulant-X stimulation. The Stimulant-X-induced phosphorylation was inhibited by Control Inhibitor but not the negative control antibody. Target X phosphorylation was also inhibited by all the testing antibodies, except for Test Inhibitor 4, at 1ug/ml. The inhibitory effect reduces as the antibody concentration decreases.

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Sample Report

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Proteomics Western Blot FAQs

Protein expression in cells has been an important cornerstone in biomedical research and industrial settings for decades. It plays a significant role in the production of therapeutic protein, monoclonal antibodies, and in the studies of cell signaling, gene regulation, protein-protein interactions, etc.

Representing at least 8-9% of all protein-related publications within the last decade, Western Blotting is estimated to be the most used technique across a broad range of scientific and clinical disciplines. Their ability to confirm the identity/presence of a specific protein both by size and through the binding of an antibody provides additional information not readily gathered from other key immunological laboratory techniques. Their results are less ambiguous, making them suitable as a key supplemental screen to be used in combination or provide confirmation of results from other techniques (ELISA, IHC, etc.)

Western blotting is informative for various instances, such as:
  • Evaluating levels of protein expression in cells
  • Monitoring fractions during protein purification
  • Comparing expression of a target protein from various tissues
  • Determining how a particular protein responds to disease or drug treatment
  • Determining the effect of time on a protein

The data produced with a Western Blot is typically considered to be qualitative and sometimes semi-quantitative, as it provides a relative comparison of protein levels, but not an absolute measure of quantity.

Both Western Blot and ELISA are two very different methods based on immunodetection. The main differences are as follows:
ELISA Western Blot
Detects the presence of antigen and antibody in cell lysates, serum, etc. Detects the presence of a specific protein and its MW from a mixture of proteins
Less time-consuming Time-consuming, delicate process, costly
Qualitative and quantitative Qualitative and sometimes semi-quantitative

Higher specificity and less likely to give false positive results

Western blotting is a technique that separates proteins by size. The smaller the protein is, the faster it migrates through the gel. However, the migration speed is also affected by other factors, so the actual band size observed may differ from what was predicted.
Possible Reasons Notes
Post-translational modifications Increases the protein size (phosphorylation, glycosylation, etc.)
Post-translational cleavage Most proteins are synthesized as pro-proteins and then cleaved to give the protein its active form (e.g pro-caspases)
Splice variants Highly variable depending on the specific tissue and experimental conditions, which may lead to the production of different sized protein products
Isoforms Many proteins express multiple isoforms that are different sizes. Expression of different isoforms for the same target protein is highly variable depending on the specific tissue and experimental conditions. Several websites can be accessed to determine isoforms for specific targets.
Relative charge The composition of amino acids (charged vs. non-charged)
Multimers An example is dimerization of a protein, which is usually prevented in reducing conditions—although interactions can result in the appearance of higher bands

Yes. Outsourcing experiments has become a very common practice across the globe nowadays, especially in clinical investigations. The benefits of outsourcing can be substantial—from cost savings, expertise and efficiency gains to greater competitive advantage.

Yes, our team can perform 2D western blot analysis. Please submit a custom inquiry and we will reach out to you to discuss your project.