Synthetic copolymers are capable of solubilizing and stabilizing membrane proteins without the need for detergents. They have the unique capacity to extract the membrane protein of interest while maintaining a near-native environment.

Finding the best-performing synthetic nanodisc polymer for your respective nanodisc can be tricky, especially if you have never worked with your current membrane protein of interest before. For these cases, we have compiled our most prominent SMALP and DIBMA products into this practical Synthetic Nanodisc Screening Kit for your convenience!
All eight products are buffered in HEPES to provide maximal comparability between the individual screening assays. In the product description, you can find the list of polymers included in this kit. DIBMA Glucosamine, Sulfo-DIBMA, and Sulfo-SMA provide the highest cation tolerance of all.

SMALP 300:
State: Lyophilized powder, to be solved with water
Polymer styrene-to-maleic anhydride ratio: 3:1
Molecular weight: 10000 Da
pH after solving: 7.5
Solubility: 35%
Divalent cationic tolerance: <5 mM
Color: Colorless
Odor: Odorless
Freeze-thaw stable: Yes

SMALP 200:
State: Lyophilized Powder, to be solved with water
Polymer styrene-to-maleic anhydride ratio: 2:1
Molecular weight: 6500 Da
pH after solving: 7.5
Solubility: 40%
Divalent cationic tolerance: <5 mM
Color: Yellowish
Odor: Odorless
Freeze-thaw stable: Yes
Other noteworthy feature: Most commonly used SMA

Sulfo-SMA:
Usage: Membrane protein solubilization and stabilization
Full-name: Poly (styrene-co-N′,N′-dimethyl(maleimidoethyl)ammonium propane sulfonate) copolymer;
Formula weight: 8000 g/mol ±1000 g/mol
Buffer: 50 mM HEPES
pH upon addition of dH₂O: 7.5 ±0.3
Total pH stability: 4 to 10
State: Lyophilized Powder
Recommended concentration range upon use: 1 to 5%
Solubility: >10% in H₂O
Mg²⁺ Tolerance: over 100 mM
Ca²⁺ Tolerance: over 100 mM
Color: White to slightly yellow

Sulfo-DIBMA:
Usage: Membrane protein solubilization and stabilization
Full-name: Poly (diisobutylene-alt-N´,N´-/dimethyl(maleimidopropyl))ammonium propane sulfonate copolymer, sodium salt in 50 mM HEPES, pH 7.5
Formula weight: 8000 g/mol ±1000 g/mol
Buffer: 50 mM HEPES
pH upon addition of dH₂O: 7.5 ±0.3
Total pH stability: 4 to 10; State: Lyophilized powder
Recommended concentration range upon use: 1 to 5%
Solubility: >10% in H₂O
Absorbance at 280 nm: <0.3 (1% solution)
Mg²⁺ Tolerance: over 100 mM
Ca²⁺ Tolerance: over 100 mM
Color: White to slightly yellow

SMALP 140:
State: Lyophilized Powder, to be solved with water
Polymer styrene-to-maleic anhydride ratio: 1.4:1
Molecular weight: 5000 Da
pH after solving: 7.5
Solubility: 45%
Divalent cationic tolerance: <5 mM
Color: Amber
Odor: Odorless
Freeze-thaw stable: Yes

DIBMA 10:
Usage: Protein solubilization
Formula weight: 10000 g/mol
pH: 7.5 in buffer; dn/dc: 1.35 M⁻¹
Solubility: >10% in H₂O
Absorbance at 280 nm: <0.3 (1% solution)
Mg²⁺ Tolerance: 25 mM
Ca²⁺ Tolerance: Starts to precipitate at 50 mM

DIBMA 12:
Formula Weight 12000 g/mol
pH: 7.5 in buffer
dn/dc: 1.35 M⁻¹
Solubility >10% in H₂O
Absorbance at 280 nm: <0.3 (1% solution)
Mg²⁺ Tolerance: 25 mM
Ca²⁺ Tolerance: starts to precipitate at 50 mM

DIBMA GLYCEROL:
Usage: Protein solubilization
Formula Weight: 10000 g/mol
pH: 7.5 in buffer
dn/dc: 1.35 M⁻¹
Solubility: >10% in H₂O
Absorbance at 280 nm: <0.3 (1% solution)
Mg²⁺ Tolerance: >50 mM
Ca²⁺ Tolerance: >50 mM