Molecular Devices ImageXpress Confocal HT.ai, Руководство пользователя

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Chapter 4: Preparing for Acquisition
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Plate Selection
The plate type you use can have a significant impact on image quality. You should assess
various plates for their compatibility with your assay and use plates of only one brand from a
single manufacturer. Mixing various plate types from different manufacturers could introduce
unknown variables and contribute to the creation of flawed data.
Consider the following factors when you select plates for your assay:
Plate Format, see below
Plate Material, see below
Fluorescence Background, see page 56
Bottom Thickness, see page 56
Plate Flatness or Reproducibility of the Z-Pattern, see page 56
Plate Skirt, see page 56
Batch-to-Batch Consistency, see page 56
Robot Compatibility, see page 56
Plate Format
To determine if the plate format is compatible with your assay, consider the following:
How many wells are in each plate?
Is the well size compatible with the assay, and will the plates allow for the desired
throughput?
Do you have the equipment needed to pipette into and wash the plates?
Plate Material
WARNING!
The ImageXpress Confocal HT.ai instrument uses a Class 4 high-power
laser light source, which can cause materials to smolder or burn, especially at close
range. Dark materials, which absorb heat, and materials such as plastic, paper, and
fabric can easily be burned by visible laser beams. See
Laser Safety on page 10 for
details on the Class 4 high-power laser product and specific warning and danger
statements for working with the external laser light source.
The composition of the material of the bottom of the plate needs to be of optical quality; if not,
your acquired images can be degraded.
The ideal plate for imaging features black well sides and a single-piece, thin, glass bottom,
which provides optimal autofocus performance and image quality. A plastic-bottom plate will
also work well as long as the variability in the bottom thickness is not too great. Especially with
a high-magnification objective, you will likely notice significant differences in clarity between a
standard plastic plate, an optically clear plastic plate, and a glass-bottom plate.
Verify that the cells in your assay are compatible with the plate material. Some cells may
adhere to and perform better on plastic. Given the wrong surface, some cells may fail to bind
and will exhibit unusual behavior, such as rounding up or migrating to the edges of a well. In
some cases, coating the plates or using pre-coated plates can be beneficial.