SPA Scintillation beads are microspheres containing scintillant which emit light in the blue region of the visible spectrum. As a result, these beads are ideally suited to use with photomultiplier tube (PMT) counters such as the MicroBeta² or TopCount.

Two types of core SPA Scintillation bead are available - yttrium silicate (YSi) and Polyvinyltoluene (PVT). PVT beads are plastic, larger in size, and stay in suspension longer than the crystalline YSi beads.

Scintillation proximity assay (SPA) is a homogeneous and versatile technology for the rapid and sensitive assay of a wide range of biological processes, including applications using enzyme and receptor targets, radioimmunoassays, and molecular interactions. When ³H, ¹⁴C, ³³P, and ¹²⁵I radioisotopes decay, they release β-particles (or Auger electrons, in the case of ¹²⁵I). The distance these particles travel through an aqueous solution is dependent on the energy of the particle. If a radioactive molecule is held in close enough proximity to a SPA Scintillation Bead or a SPA Imaging Bead, the decay particles stimulate the scintillant within the bead to emit light, which is then detected in a PMT-based scintillation counter or on a CCD-based imager, respectively. However, if the radioactive molecule does not associate with the SPA bead, the decay particles will not have sufficient energy to reach the bead and no light will be emitted. This discrimination of binding by proximity means that no physical separation of bound and free radiochemical is required.