Apex 4B & 6B

Two resins for the core EV workflow

Choose by sample complexity. Pore size sets the balance, 6B’s smaller pores maximize yield, 4B’s larger pores minimize protein co-elution. Same intact EVs, either way.

>90% EV recovery (6B) · >99.99% albumin depletion (4B)
20 nm and 35 nm pore-size resins
Available in column and 24-well plate formats
Run manually or automate on Ascent & Summit instruments

4B mini

6B mini

Yield and purity, side by side

The difference is how many vesicles you keep versus how much lipoprotein you remove.

Apex 6B · Highest EV yield

Optimized for the highest total EV recovery from low-complexity samples.

Apex 4B · Highest purity

Optimized for high purity and the lowest protein co-elution against secreted proteins.

	Apex 6B	Apex 4B
Optimized for	Highest yield	High purity
EV recovery	>90%	>70%
Albumin (HSA) depletion	>99.9%	>99.99%
HDL (ApoA1) depletion	>99%	>99.9%
Lipoprotein (ApoB) depletion	40%	>80%
Pore size / resin	20 nm	35 nm
Sample volume	0.1–1.0 mL

Choose 6B when…

Maximizing vesicle recovery is the priority
Low-complexity samples: serum-free CCM, urine, CSF

Choose 4B when…

You need higher purity from complex biofluids
Lipoproteins aren’t the limiting contaminant

Pricing and ordering information

Consistent EV isolation across biofluids

Whatever the starting sample, EVs elute in fractions 1–3 while free protein and lipoproteins trail behind, so a single early collection window delivers a clean, reproducible isolate from cell culture to plasma, CSF and urine.

Clean separation from plasma

$Plasma EV elution profile on Apex 4B with HSA per fraction$

0.5 mL plasma on Apex 4B, EVs (solid) elute in fractions 1–3, while albumin (HSA, dashed) is held back into the later fractions. Collect the early peak for a high-purity isolate.

Normalized SEC EV elution profiles across cell culture, plasma, CSF and urine — Normalized SEC profiles for cell culture, plasma, CSF and urine overlap closely, across all four, the majority of EVs elute in fractions 1–3.

Column and 24-well plate elution profiles

Apex single-column and 24-well-plate EV concentration by fraction (mean ± SD, n = 4). Both formats share the same 9.0 mL resin bed; EVs are collected in fractions 1–3.

Column or plate

Same separation, single column or 24-well plate

Run Apex as single columns or as a 24-well plate to match your project. Both share the same bed volume and resin, so the formats are interchangeable and deliver equivalent EV separation.

Single columns and 24-well plates are designed to be interchangeable
Single columns run on Ascent and Summit; plates run on Summit
Available in 4B and 6B formats

Read the plate-based SEC study (JACS)

Apex 24-well plate and single column are interchangeable

4.62×10⁹

EVs collected per column

4.62×10⁹

EVs collected per plate well

0.1%

difference, column vs plate

2.2%

CV across all 8 runs

Apex-isolated EVs: pure and intact

EVs isolated from plasma and cell culture, characterized by super-resolution imaging (ONI), NTA (Particle Metrix), TEM, and flow cytometry (Cytoflex nano).

NTA size distributions with TEM insets for plasma and cell-culture EVs — NTA sizes plasma and cell-culture EVs across the expected vesicle range, while negative-stain TEM (insets) shows individual round, membrane-bound particles.

ONI super-resolution tetraspanin cluster counts and images for plasma (Apex 4B) and cell-culture (Apex 6B) EVs — Single-vesicle ONI resolves CD9, CD63 and CD81, alone and co-localized, on plasma (Apex 4B) and cell-culture (Apex 6B) EVs, confirming bona fide vesicle identity.

Single-particle flow cytometry scatter plots of pan-tetraspanin (Pan-Tetra Alexa 647+) EVs for Apex 4B (4B1) and 6B (6B1) isolates — Single-particle flow cytometry resolves a clear pan-tetraspanin (Pan-Tetra Alexa 647+) EV population above scatter background, 25.9% (4B1) and 31.5% (6B1).

Reuse data

Consistent across reuses

Apex maintains EV yield and drip speed for up to 5 reuses, wash with NaOH then 1× PBS between runs and the elution profile holds steady.

reuses per column

<10%

CV in EV yield

0.5 mL plasma, fractions 1–3; EVs and HSA measured by Atlas ELISA.

Apex 4B/6B yield and drip speed across 5 reuses — EV yield and drip speed maintained across 5 reuses.

Technical specifications

Specifications & formats

Specification	Apex 6B	Apex 4B
Resin type	Size-exclusion (SEC)
Pore size	20 nm	35 nm
Bed volume	9.0 mL (standard column & 24-well plate) · mini 3.3 mL
Sample volume	Standard column 0.5–1.0 mL · mini 0.1–0.3 mL
Formats	Single column, mini, and 24-well plate
Reuses per column	Up to 5
Compatible instruments	Ascent (columns) · Summit (plates & columns)
Validated biofluids	Cell culture, plasma, serum, urine, CSF

View User GuidePDF Apex SEC columns brochurePDF

Application notes

Latest Apex application notes

View all

Can SEC be a scalable and more reproducible alternative to ultracentrifugation?

Read note

Advancing Plasma-Derived Extracellular Vesicle Analysis Through High-Purity Isolation and Particle-Specific Quantification

Read note

Drip speed matters: Enhance EV isolation reproducibility with Apex columns and validate using the Atlas ELISA

Read note

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How many times can Apex columns be used?

We have tested Apex 4B/6B columns for up to 5 uses.

What is the repeatability of isolation after regeneration cycles?

Apex columns have less than 10% CV in EV yield for up to 5 uses when measured with the Atlas EV ELISA. We developed a tightly controlled manufacturing process to ensure the most repeatable columns.

Should I use Apex MM, 6B, or 4B?

Apex MM is optimized for maximum EV purity in plasma and serum, ideal for unbiased assays like mass spec and flow cytometry. Apex 6B is optimized for the highest total EV recovery, ideal for targeted analysis such as immunoassays, label-based imaging and flow, western blots, and surface-marker pull-down. Apex 4B is optimized for the highest purity, ideal for unbiased analysis including proteomics and RNA-seq.

Does the entire plate need to be used at one time?

No. The plate seal can be cut to use only 4 wells at a time, and the Summit instrument allows skipping used wells, so you can maximize the utility of every Apex plate.

Not sure whether to pick 4B or 6B?

Tell us about your sample type and downstream assay, and our scientists will help you choose between 4B and 6B and share a protocol to get you started.