Microplate UV/VIS spectrophotometer

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Funds are requested to purchase a Molecular Devices SpectraMax 190 Microplate UV/VIS Spectrophotometer, together with requisite software and computer system (needed for data acquisition & analysis), and a quartz microplate (needed for absorbance determinations in the UV range). This is required to replace to an unrepairable and obsolete Molecular Devices SpectraMax 250 plate reader that has been heavily used since its purchase in 1998, but became non-functional earlier this year. The SpectraMax 250 was discontinued in 1998, is no longer serviced, and its spare parts have not been available for the past 2 years. The microplate spectrophotometer is a highly versatile and essential research tool for my laboratory personnel. They use it on a daily basis for a wide variety of biochemical procedures, including high-throughput activity assays and kinetic studies of key enzymes of plant metabolism. The microplate reader has also been extensively used to perform end-point assays such as protein, nucleic acid, and phosphate determinations. Over the past 5 years we have integrated several powerful molecular biological and genomic tools into our research, which necessitates spectrophotometric quantification of DNA/RNA at 260 nm. The SpectraMax 190 has been significantly upgraded with additional features such as being fully tunable over a broad UV-VIS range (190-850 nm), as well as  a PathCheck Sensor which senses the depth of liquid in each well and normalizes absorbance values to a conventional 1 cm pathlength. The spectral scanning feature enables us to determine absorbance spectra for various compounds and purified enzymes. Molecular Devices's microplate analysis software (Softmax Pro) provides comprehensive instrument control and data reduction. My research group (currently 1 post-doc, 1 res. assoc., 4 graduate & 1 undergraduate student) have experienced significant disruptions to their work since our SpectraMax 250 plate reader became non-functional. If funded, the SpectraMax 190 Spectrophotometer would be a huge asset for my ongoing research program and HQP training.