Luciferase Assays
Bright, flexible luciferase assays
Luciferase enzymes emit light as they oxidise luciferin, giving a fast, sensitive read-out of gene expression, promoter activity and cell viability. Our Lux systems span single-reagent reporters, dual-luciferase normalisation, ATP-based viability and in vivo imaging.
Which luciferase system is right for you?
From reporter-gene studies to ATP viability and in vivo imaging — pick your application to find the matching system.
The Lux luciferase range
Filter by application or search by system name.
Why choose the Lux systems?
Sensitive bioluminescence tuned to your workflow.
High sensitivity
Bioluminescence gives a wide dynamic range and low background for confident quantitation.
Tunable glow
Half-lives up to 55 minutes support batch processing and high-throughput reads.
Reporter to in vivo
Single and dual reporter assays, ATP viability and in vivo D-luciferin substrate.
Simple protocols
Direct-lysis, homogeneous 1- and 2-step formats with minimal sample handling.
How luciferase assays work
Luciferase reporter enzymes (commonly firefly or Renilla) emit light when they oxidise a luciferin substrate. The light output is proportional to enzyme amount, so luciferase acts as a quantitative reporter of promoter activity, gene expression or, via ATP-dependent reactions, the number of viable cells.
Dual-luciferase formats express a second control luciferase to normalise for transfection efficiency, while D-luciferin salts enable bioluminescence imaging in living animals.
- Reporter assays for promoter and gene-expression studies
- Dual-luciferase normalisation for transfection controls
- ATP-based luminescent cell-viability quantitation
- D-luciferin substrate for in vivo bioluminescence imaging
FAQs
What is a luciferase reporter assay used for?
It quantifies promoter or gene-expression activity by linking a gene of interest to a luciferase reporter; light output reflects expression levels.
Why use a dual-luciferase assay?
A dual-luciferase assay expresses a second control luciferase (e.g. Renilla alongside firefly) to normalise for transfection efficiency and sample variation, improving accuracy.
How does luciferase measure cell viability?
ATP-dependent luciferase reactions emit light in proportion to ATP, which reflects the number of metabolically active, viable cells — the basis of the CellQuant-Lux assays.
What is the glow half-life and why does it matter?
The glow half-life is how long the luminescent signal stays stable. Longer half-lives (up to ~55 minutes here) make batch and high-throughput reading more forgiving.
Choosing a luciferase workflow?
Tell our technical team about your reporter or viability application and we'll recommend the right Lux system.