Our History

SoluLinK , Inc. was founded to address a compelling need: life scientists need to link various biomolecules together in different ways for different applications, and before SoluLinK, there was no linker that was quantifiable enough, versatile enough or stable enough. The barriers for most researchers include the time to learn how to link or conjugate their biomolecules together, the complexity of the preparation and conjugation process, the post conjugation purification effort required and to obtain the required yields for their assays.

...ask customers what they want

We started by asking life science researchers what they thought they wanted in an ideal linker, what was optimal. We thought we knew how it could be done, so we started developing new linkers followed by integrating them into easy to use conjugation kits. Along the way we interviewed and surveyed researchers to understand their needs, and we translated those needs into the specifications that guided the development of the entire SoluLinK product line.

How we made a versatile, quantifiable and stable linker

With a tight focus on creating quantifiable, versatile, easy-to-use conjugation kits our development team went back to basic principles and designed various types antibody labeling kits from the ground up to meet our customer-driven specifications.

...do the simplest thing that might possibly work

• Researchers asked for very precise control of the conjugation process and for a quantitative way to easily measure the amount of conjugated product, so we developed a conjugation system where one component of
  the linker can only link with another component linker component, a first in the marketplace. This eliminated
  non-specific binding and “well-mers” and added control of the conjugation process and resultant conjugate. Once linked, the completed conjugate then has a unique signature wavelength can be detected and quantified
  by a simple UV measurement.
  
  
• Our potential customers also requested that the resulting quantifiable conjugate be stable, survive storage for longer periods of time, so we made our linkers are 5 to 10 times more stable than the existing conjugation linkers.
  
  
• Some conjugation specialists told us that one of the most troublesome things is using potentially hazardous organic solvents in their assays. So we invented water soluble linkers that deliver best-in-class conjugates without the need for organic solvents. This makes the SoluLinK’s reagents and kits safer to use more so
  than any other biotinylation reagent.
  
  
• Researchers also asked for linking reagents and kits that are easy to use with purification included, so we developed and added a purification component into labeling kits, eliminating the need to use or to have to
  have a FPLC/HPLC. That saves lots of time and saves lots of space. As a result SoluLinK labeling kits
  can be used in any lab.
  

How we made conjugation kits that requires little or no instructions

Conversations with conjugation linker users made it clear that the linker protocol and process was just as important as the linker’s capabilities in coloring the users' experience. In our interviews, many people told us they found conjugation to be difficult to navigate and time consuming to learn. This was especially true for new users, who felt overwhelmed by the complexity of the process. So we worked to reduce steps, speed up conjugations using a catalyst and included flash drives in kits with all the required protocols, calculators and web links a customer would need, making the kit as user-friendly as possible. Together we focused on understanding the needs of conjugation users and designed kit functionality and user processes to match those needs. All along the way we tested our kits with many researchers who volunteered to help us create kits that were so simple that no training course was required to get started.

...make products that fit elegantly into our customers' world.

We never stop thinking about our customers

In less than two years, our team met our first milestones by creating several kits and linker products including the ChromaLink Antibody Labeling Kit that has built in biotin quantification, no organic solvents and a flash drive with all required protocols designed to delight our customers. And we are nowhere near finished yet! We worked equally hard to develop one-shot (single labeling) versions our kits. Most scientists told us that they preferred to get information on new products from their colleagues and from the web. We structured our business to make readily available the information researchers need to make an informed purchase decision. On our website, you can see product specs, user manuals, product data sheets, prices, white papers and in many cases actual gel photos of conjugates are in our white papers, something you never see from our competitors. Our support team is just a phone call away. We want you to be so delighted with SoluLinK kits and reagents that you'll tell your friends all about it!

...seek to delight.

What's next on the horizon for SoluLinK? We are continually adding more user-friendly features to our linker capability and kits applications. We are now the first company offering complete antibody labeling kits with purification included. And we are developing some more exciting new conjugation kits, all based on the same successful product ideas; versatile products, easy to use, quantitative and affordable. We welcome your ideas and suggestions for how we can improve and what you would like to see next. And we'd love to hear about how SoluLinK products have helped you do your work better (contact us anytime).

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