Microplates

Microphysiometers Microplant Micropollutants Micropore diffusion Microporite... 

Product innovation absorbs considerable resources in the fine chemicals industry, in part because of the shorter life cycles of fine chemicals as compared to commodities. Consequently, research and development (R D) plays an important role. The main task of R D in fine chemicals is scaling-up lab processes, as described, eg, in the ORAC data bank or as provided by the customers, so that the processes can be transferred to pilot plants (see Pilot PLANTS AND microplants) and subsequently to industrial-scale production. Thus the R D department of a fine chemicals manufacturer typically is divided into a laboratory or process research section and a development section, the latter absorbing the Hon s share of the R D budget, which typically accounts for 5 to 10% of sales. Support functions include the analytical services, engineering, maintenance, and Hbrary. 

Process Economics. Relative economics of various ceU culture processes depend heavily on the performance of the ceU line in a system and on the cost of raw materials, particularly the medium. Models are usuaUy developed for the various processes using productivity data obtained from smaU-scale experiments (see Pilot AND MiCROPLANTs). Often, for high value products, the process which ensures the shortest time to market may be the process of choice because of other economic criteria. This is especially tme for pharmaceuticals (qv). RehabUity concerns also often outweigh economic considerations in choosing a process for a high value product. 

Pilot Studies. AppHcations requiring the reduction of VOC emissions have increased dramatically. On-site pilot tests are beneficial in providing useful information regarding VOC emission reduction appHcations. Information that can be obtained includes optimum catalyst operating conditions, the presence of contaminants in the gas stream, and the effects of these contaminants (see Pilotplants and microplants). 

TOF-SIMS has important potentials in many areas of life science, in fundamental and applied research as well as in product development and control. This holds for the characterization of biological cells and tissues, of sensor and microplate arrays, of drug delivery systems, of implants, etc. In all these areas, relevant surfaces feature a very complex composition and structure, requiring the parallel detect ion of many different molecular species as well as metal and other elements, with high sensitivity and spatial resolution requirements, which are exactly met by TOF-SIMS. 

Marsh grapefhiit (MGF) pulp was homogenized in 5 volumes of extraction buffer at 4 C and maintained at pH 8.0 (28). The homogenate was stirred for one hour, centrifuged and the supernatant used as the PE extract. Activity was measured by titration with a Brinkman (Westbury, NY) pH stat titrator at pH 7.5 and 30°C in 25 mL of 1 % high methoxyl pectin (Citrus Colloids Limited, Hereford, UK) with O.IM NaCl. PE units are expressed as the microequivalents of ester hydrolysed per minute. Uronic acid analyses were conducted based on the m-phenyl phenol (4) as modified for microplate reading (30). 

Reciprocally, the growth on single C source significantly decreases the bacterial diversity. For example, in the rhizosphere soil of potato, a dramatic reduction in the number of ribotypes was found by temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TGGE) after 48 h of incubation with single C source substrate in Biolog microplate wells (I46). 

The microplate ELISA testis conducted in standard 96-well microplates. A microplate consists of a 12 X 8 grid of wells for test solutions. The three most widely used ELISA formats are immobilized antigen competitive immunoassay, immobilized antibody competitive immunoassay and sandwich immunoassay. " ... 

Sandwich ELISAs (Eigure 4) are the most common type of immunoassay used for the detection of proteins. A capture antibody is immobilized on the wells of a microplate. The solution containing the analyte is introduced and antibody-analyte... 

The concentration of analyte in the unknown sample is extrapolated from the calibration curve. To obtain an accurate and precise quantitative value, the optical density (OD) for the sample solutions must fall on the linear portion of the calibration curve. If the sample OD is too high, the sample solution must be diluted until the OD falls within the quantitative range of the assay. The concentration of the analyte in the original sample is calculated by correcting for any dilution factor that was introduced in preparing the sample for application to the microplate. 

A method in which a large number of assays (from thousands to millions) are performed and assessed in a relatively short time period. Typically, these assays are carried out in microplates of at least 96 wells using automated or robotic technologies. Note the rate of at least 100,000 assays per day has been termed Ultra HTS (UHTS). 

A programmable device that accurately and precisely delivers predefined quantities of liquid to a MICROPLATE. It may be free-standing incorporated into a WORKSTATION, or part of a fully automated system. 

Standards that define the footprint, the height, the flanges and the well positions of 96-, 384-, and 1,536-well microplates. 

The number and configuration of wells on a microplate. The most widely used formats are arrays of 96 wells (8x12), or 384 wells (16x24), or 1,536 wells (32x48). 

Shi Y., Simpson P.C., Scherer J.R., Wexler D., Skibola C., Smith, M.T., and Mathies R.A., Radial capillary array electrophoresis microplate and scanner for high-performance nucleic acid analysis, Anal. Chem. 71, 5354, 1999. 

Even though stool examination for ova and parasites has remained the major means of diagnosis, other diagnostic tests include enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), which is considered to be between 85% to 98% sensitive and almost 100% specific (ProSpecT, Giardia Microplate Assay, Remel, Lenexa, KS). 

A very versatile piece of equipment that is affordable for individual laboratories is the microplate reader. This allows multiple samples to be analyzed at once, commonly in a 96-well format, although 384- and 1536-well formats are available. Typical measurements that can be performed include UV-Vis absorbance, fluorescence, or luminescence, allowing a range of assays to be performed, such as cell growth, enzyme kinetics, enzyme stability, or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [60-62]. Functionality can be increased by the use of liquid dispensing systems or automatic plate handling. 

Geddie, M.L., Rowe, L.A., Alexander, O.B. and Matsumura, I. (2004) High throughput microplate screens for directed protein evolution. Methods in Enzymology, 388, 134-145. 

Cells are lysed for Firefly and Renilla luciferase assays using the Dual-Luciferase Reporter Assay system (Promega), following the manufacturer s instructions. We use a multimode microplate reader with automatic injectors (FLUOROstar Optima from BMG Labtech, OfFenburg, Germany) for luminescence measurements. 

Screening Plates HE Microplates 96 Black PS (Molecular Devices). 

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