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Meet the Binaree Product Line: Which Tissue Clearing System Is Right for Your Lab?

“Tissue clearing” isn’t one product — it’s a small ecosystem of reagents and, in Binaree’s case, an optional automated system built around it. Choosing the right combination depends on your sample type, your timeline, and whether you want a bench-top reagent kit or a dedicated instrument. Here’s what MediLumine carries from Binaree, what each product actually does, and how to decide between them.

The Core Kit: Binaree Tissue Clearing Kit (MDL-HRTC-012)

This is Binaree’s standard, passive tissue clearing kit — an immersion-based reagent system with no specialized equipment required. It’s built for deep, high-resolution 3D imaging of intact samples while keeping the workflow simple: no organic solvents, no perfusion or electrophoretic hardware, and a reproducible bench-top protocol.

  • Signal preservation: low fluorescence quenching compared to typical clearing methods, so endogenous fluorescence and antibody labeling survive the process.
  • Faster immunostaining workflow: Binaree reports that for a 1 mm-deep sample, their previous-generation HRTI reagent took 6 days to clear for immunostaining; MDL-HRTC-012 completes the same step in about 1 day.
  • Kit contents: Tissue Clearing Solution A (30 mL) and Solution B (60 mL). The kit does not include mounting solution — Binaree recommends ordering the Mounting Solution (MDL-HRMO-006) alongside it.

This kit is the reagent behind Binaree’s documented application cases — including 5xFAD amyloid plaque models, MCAO stroke models, blood-brain barrier constructs, UUO kidney fibrosis, optic nerve crush, diabetic retinopathy, stem cell distribution studies, and microplastic accumulation work.

The Speed Option: Binaree Tissue Clearing Rapid

Rapid is a different kind of product: it’s an active, instrument-driven clearing system, not just a reagent. It pairs a dedicated Rapid System (temperature-controlled, automatically powered) with sample-specific rapid solutions, and it’s built specifically for labs that need large-volume samples cleared fast.

  • Headline speed: a whole mouse brain clears in about 6 hours; a zebrafish brain in about 1 hour; a rat brain in about 48 hours.
  • Automatic control: an adaptive, programmed power supply with automatic temperature control, intended to protect fluorescent and immunolabeled markers during faster processing.
  • Adaptive hardware: a porous sample support structured to accommodate size changes as tissue clears.
  • Sample-specific reagents: Rapid Solution Brain (MDL-BRTC-001) and Rapid Solution non-brain (MDL-BRTC-002) are separate formulations — pick the one matching your sample type.

One important compatibility note: the Rapid system and its reagents are designed to work together and are not interchangeable with Binaree’s passive-line products (HRTC-xxx, HRMO-xxx, etc.). Binaree’s recommended purchase is the full set: Rapid System (MDL-BDTC-003) + Rapid Solution (MDL-BRTC-001 or MDL-BRTC-002) + Rapid Mounting Solution (MDL-BRMO-006).

How Rapid Compares to Standard Clearing Methods

Binaree publishes a direct time comparison against clearing methods most labs already know. Figures below are approximate and should be confirmed against Binaree’s current protocol documentation:

MethodApprox. total time to clear
PACT~17 days
CUBIC~14 days
uDISCO~10 days
BABB(F)~4 days
Ethanol-ECi~4 days
3DISCO / FDISCO~4 days
Binaree Tissue Clearing Rapid~6 hours (whole mouse brain)

Where standard aqueous and solvent-based protocols run 4 to 17 days of processing, Rapid’s whole-brain turnaround is measured in hours — a difference that changes what fits into a week’s worth of bench time, not just a marginal speed bump.

The Shared Component: Tissue Clearing Mounting Solution (HRMO-006)

Both product lines need a mounting step, and Binaree’s Mounting Solution is formulated specifically to pair with their clearing chemistry rather than being a generic RI-matching medium.

  • Refractive index: 1.46, matched to cleared tissue for consistent imaging.
  • Fluorescence retention: built to preserve both endogenous fluorescence and immunolabeling signal after mounting.
  • Stability: does not crystallize even at low storage temperatures, so mounted samples can be imaged over an extended period rather than needing same-day imaging.
  • Microscope-safe: non-organic-solvent based.

Components: Mounting Solution, 60 mL per bottle.

Choosing Between the Kit and Rapid

 Tissue Clearing Kit (MDL-HRTC-012)Tissue Clearing Rapid
Clearing typePassive, immersion-basedActive, instrument-driven
Equipment neededNone — bench-top onlyRapid System (MDL-BDTC-003) required
Typical timelineStandard clearing timeline; ~1 day for a 1 mm immunostained sample~1–48 hours depending on sample (zebrafish brain 1 h, mouse brain 6 h, rat brain 48 h)
Sample flexibilityBroad range of tissue types and sizesBrain-specific (BRTC-001) or non-brain (BRTC-002) formulations
Best fit forLabs without dedicated clearing hardware, lower throughput, budget-conscious setupsLabs clearing samples regularly and prioritizing turnaround time

In short: if your lab doesn’t already run a high volume of clearing work, or you’d rather not add dedicated instrumentation, the standard Kit plus Mounting Solution is the lower-friction starting point. If turnaround time is the bottleneck — particularly for whole-brain work — Rapid’s hour-scale processing is the reason to invest in the full system.

Where These Products Get Used

Across both product lines, Binaree’s application base covers four broad categories: high-resolution imaging of fluorescent transgenic models; blood vessel and biomarker imaging (including ischemic stroke, ischemic heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and retinal vasculature); 3D cell culture models such as organoids and spheroids; and whole-mount embryo imaging for developmental and toxicology studies. Documented sample types include whole mouse brain, spinal cord, kidney and glomeruli, pancreas, small intestine, eye, skin, and cultured organoids. For a closer look at these applications, see our companion post on Binaree’s tissue clearing applications.

Ordering Through MediLumine

MediLumine is the authorized Canadian distributor for Binaree’s tissue clearing reagents — the Tissue Clearing Kit, Tissue Clearing Rapid system and solutions, and the Mounting Solution — with local support and domestic shipping. If you’re not sure which combination fits your sample type or throughput needs, our team can help you work through it before you order.

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