Optically Clear Tissue Culture Plates
The Optically Clear Tissue Culture Plate range has been designed for high content screening (HCS) assays in drug development and related areas. It is also suitable for homogeneous assays employing fluorescence intensity, FRET and TR-FRET where measurements are bottom-read. This high quality optical base plate assures the necessary accuracy and consistency for automated high throughput systems, generating optimum signal to noise ratios. Using state-of-the-art manufacturing technology, we have developed a product which offers several key advantages to the end user.
Optically Clear Tissue Culture Plates are our best plates for your most advanced applications. When visualizing fluorescent signals from anything between a single molecule to a whole cell, these plates will give accurate and consistent results.
Suitable for cell-bases high content screening (HCS), confocal microscopy, FRET and homogeneous assays, results show an optimum signal-to-noise ratio and a high consistency essential for automated high throughput. Using state of the art technology, we have developed a product which offers key advantages to the end user.
Frame material
Polystyrene , a hard material with optical clarity; it is used for cell culture, fluorescence, luminescence, ELISA, and homogeneous assays. Our Optically Clear Tissue Culture Plates and other assay plates are made from polystyrene.
Well shape
Round wells , suitable for most applications as they reduce droplet effects and wicking.
Rounded square wells ensure the best use of space and improve sample mixing, suitable for small volumes.
Well bottoms
Flat bottoms , are most suitable for optical imaging and cell culture application.
Plate color
Black frames and clear bottom , suitable for bottom reading instruments and microscopy applications.
Optical quality of the polymer film
The clear base component of our Optically Clear Tissue Culture Plates demonstrates superior properties in terms of optical clarity (low absorbency and high transmission), low background fluorescence and consistency of material thickness.
The latest extrusion technology is used for manufacturing an ultra-clear base of 190 µm in thickness to provide optimum results with confocal microscopy and laser based detection systems. Variation across the plate is minimized, so the time needed for complex screening applications can be reduced dramatically.
Reduction of auofluorescence
Our Optically Clear Tissue Culture Plates are assembled using unique patented laser welding technology which reduces autofluorescence and does not inhibit cell growth (Figure 1 and Figure 2 below). Other competitors assemble clear base microplates by gluing a clear film to the frame or heat-welding the components together. Both techniques can cause problems with cell growth and the subsequent microscopic or fluorometric analysis.
Figure 1 Figure 2
Heat welding of the two plate components under high pressure results in autofluorescence at the well edges called “halo effect”. Gluing uses organic solvents within the adhesives, which can also cause autofluorescence. These solvents can also have cytotoxic effects, which may lead to inhibition of cell growth or even cell death. Additionally, incomplete glue lines or weld lines often result in well-to-well leakage.
Improved cell adhesion
Figure 3 Polymers such as polystyrene are very hydrophobic and need to be surface treated to increase wettability and to allow for cell adhesion. To introduce the necessary charges to the plastic surface screening plates are commonly undergoing corona treatment or similar low cost modifications. The drawbacks of such treatments are that they are partly reversible and that the density of the charges varies across the surface area, resulting in uneven cell growth and a short shelf life of the products.
We use a unique low pressure plasma process for treating the plastic surface which produces a more consistent and stable surface. The treatment has been especially designed to improve cell adhesion under difficult conditions (e.g. reduced serum conditions). It is also useful for growing cells with low adhesion properties such as transfected cells over-expressing proteins.
2000 cells were seeded in each well and incubated for 48 hours to achieve 90% confluency. They were then fixed in PFA and stained with Hoechst nuclear stain, followed by 5 wash steps in PW384. U2-OS stayed adherent in both plates, but the more sensitive HeLa and HuH cells only stayed adherent in all areas of the our Optically Clear Tissue Culture Plates. Pictures shown (Figure 3 ) of light microscope image.
Coating options
Collagen 1
Collagen 1 is a protein of the extracellular matrix (ECM), an intercellular substance, which in vivo, influences adhesion, migration and proliferation among other processes. Collagen 1 is one of the most important ECM proteins for in-vitro cell cultures. Difficult to cultivate cells adhere to Collagen 1 and display positive growth. Collagen 1 can also influence differentiation and morphology.
Poly-D-lysine
Poly-D-lysine is a synthetic molecule that improves the adhesion of different cell types to polystyrene surfaces. It can improve cultivation efficiency of individual cell lines especially when serum-free or serum-reduced medium is used, or when experiments such as transfections are performed. Read less ▲