How much does a microplate reader cost?
BioTek’s simplest ELISA reader, for instance, costs about $5,000, says Xavier Amouretti, product marketing manager at BioTek Instruments, a company that sells a range of microplate reader systems; the company’s least-expensive multimode reader, the Synergy™ HT, costs about $20,000.
What does a microplate reader measure?
A microplate reader is a laboratory instrument that is used to measure chemical, biological or physical reactions, properties and analytes within the well of a microplate.
What is the difference between a spectrophotometer and a microplate reader?
A microplate reader is essentially a spectrophotometer but with a few key differences. While a spectrophotometer works with a monochromator or filter-based optics to measure events in samples just like a microtiter plate reader, a spectrophotometer works with a single small sample size.
What does a SpectraMax do?
The SpectraMax® M Series Multi-Mode Microplate Readers measure UV and visible absorbance, fluorescence, luminescence, fluorescence polarization, TRF and HTRF. Standard features include a cuvette port, spectral scanning in 1 nm increments, and up to six wavelengths per read.
How do fluorescence plate readers work?
The emission system of the plate reader uses polarizing filters to analyze the polarity of the emitted light. A low level of polarization indicates that small fluorescent molecules move freely in the sample. A high level of polarization indicates that fluorescent is attached to a larger molecular complex.
How does a microplate reader measure absorbance?
The light detector is located on the opposite side of the microplate relative to the light source. It measures how much of the total light intensity is transmitted through the sample and at which wavelengths. Light that does not pass through to the detector is absorbed by the sample.
Is a spectrometer and spectrophotometer the same?
A spectrophotometer is a spectrometer that only measures the intensity of electromagnetic radiation (light) and is distinct from other spectrometers such as mass spectrometers. A spectrometer is typically used to measure wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation (light) that has interacted with a sample.
Is a plate reader a spectrophotometer?
Microplate Readers, or Plate Readers, are a type of spectrophotometer. Both use either a monochromator system or filter-based optics and these lab instruments both collect useful measurements across a variety of methods.
How do you calibrate a microplate reader?
If the instrument does not have a calibration plate, verify it by placing a coloured solution in the wells of a plate and immediately carry out a complete reading. Then invert the plate 180° and read the plate again. If both readings display identical, average values in each row, the reader is calibrated.
What is the purpose of a plate reader?
Plate readers, also known as microplate readers or microplate photometers, are instruments which are used to detect biological, chemical or physical events of samples in microtiter plates.