INTEGRA has introduced a Three Position Stage for its VIAFLO 96 and VIAFLO 384 handheld benchtop pipettes.

The concept of lab automation sounds almost magical, as if a sophisticated machine here or there makes a lab run by itself. Indeed, automation can improve the efficiency of a lab and more, but figuring out the best “here” or “there” creates the challenge.

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Problem: Achieving successful PCR (polymerase chain reaction) results requires proper control of many factors and parameters. The yield—quantity and quality—of amplified DNA is often essential for downstream applications and ultimately successful completion of experimental research. PCR reagents, consumable sample vessels, and the thermal cycler instrument must all be properly chosen for the specific PCR application, and must also meet quality and performance requirements. In addition to these components that must work correctly in conjunction, sample preparation is typically done manually and must be done with care and accuracy.

Microplate handlers are specialized robotic devices that transfer microtiter plates in three dimensional space from one location within a workflow to another. The “locations” are actually operations such as solvent addition (through liquid handling), aspiration, heating, shaking, incubation, washing, reading, and storage.

The custom technologies arm of Molecular Devices, a leader in bioanalytical systems for drug discovery, life science research, and bioassay development, has partnered with the Discovery Technologies team at the Roche Innovation Center Basel of Pharma Research and Early Development (pRED) to develop a high-throughput detection system for drug discovery screens employing Roche’s proprietary Ruthenium-based nanosecond time resolved fluorescence (Nano-TRF®) assays. The pRED screening teams in Basel and Shanghai are now installing the custom-developed Nano-TRF® cartridge in their existing Molecular Devices SpectraMax® Paradigm® multimode microplate readers and will receive on-demand delivery of new cartridges and continuing global technical support.

With an ever-increasing number of multimode microplate readers on the market, it is more important than ever to choose the right solution for your laboratory and workflow.

Scientists at the Houston Methodist Research Institute have figured out how to pick up and transfer single cells using a pipette–a common laboratory tool that's been tweaked slightly. They describe this engineering feat and preliminary test results in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

3M Food Safety is marking the 30^th anniversary of the introduction of its revolutionary 3M™ Petrifilm™ Plates, the worldwide standard for fast, simple, easy-to-interpret indicator testing.

Get fun facts about microplate technology, lists of questions to ask when buying microplate handlers and readers, the most recent microplate handler and reader releases, and an updated microplate handler and reader manufacturer's list in this section.

While fully manual operations can be built around microplate formats, doing anything substantive without a microplate reader is virtually impossible. Detection modes define the instrument’s experimental capabilities.

Biochemical and cell based assays using a microplate reader provide quantitative data on ex vivo cell behavior, while viewing cells with a microscope allows researchers to see cellular and intra-cellular processes via fixed cells or with live cell imaging.  Both methods are equally important to life science research and the drug discovery process.  Together, these methods provide valuable, content rich data that otherwise requires the expense of multiple instrumentation.