5-Ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (5-EdU)

5-Ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (5-EdU) is a thymidine analog that can be incorporated into replicating DNA for detection of cell proliferation. 5-EdU can be used as a replacement for BrdU (5-Bromo-2'-deoxyuridine) to measure de novo DNA synthesis during the S-phase of the cell cycle through click chemistry. Click chemistry is a method of covalently coupling an azide with an alkyne. 5-EdU has an alkyne handle that can be detected using azide-containing fluorescent probes through a highly efficient click chemistry reaction. In contrast to the use of BrdU, the new method does not require sample fixation or DNA denaturation. 5-EdU-labelled cells may be isolated to determine the transcript of cells, from neural cancer or tissues that have undergone division in vitro and in vivo.