Microplate reader

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Microplate readers are basic laboratory instruments designed to detect biological and chemical events in microtiter plates. Microtiter plates are arrays of "test tubes", each containing a small volume of sample.  In the microplate reader, a high intensity light source illuminates each sample, and the light emitted from each sample is quantified by a detector. The most useful detection modes are absorbance, luminescence, fluorescence intensity and polarisation. In order to investigate biochemical reactions in detail, capabilities for time-resolution, temperature adjustment, and shaking are also required. Since so many different fluorophores and chromophores are available, the reader must also be tunable and enable collection of emitted spectra. Computers interfaced to the microplate reader are required to collect and analyse the large amount of data that is collected. All biological laboratory researchers require access to a microplate reader for basic assays (e.g., the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay - ELISA; monitoring cell growth; quantifying protein and nucleic acid concentrations) and often for more complex protein-protein and other molecular interactions. This instrument is thus an essential component of any biological research program.