Microplates with UV permeable bottom wells

Abstract

Microplates and methods for manufacturing microplates. The microplate is designed to allow UV radiation to pass through the bottom wells of the microplate so that the microplate can be used for assaying samples by use of UV absorbance. In one embodiment, the microplate comprises at least first and second wells, each well having a UV permeable bottom. In another embodiment, the microplate comprises a frame having an upper portion and a lower portion contiguous with the upper portion and a sheet disposed between the upper portion and the lower portion and defining the bottom of at least one well of the microplate. One embodiment of the method includes steps of inserting a sheet of UV permeable material into a mold cavity that includes sections shaped to form the sidewalls of the plurality of wells, injecting molten plastic material into the mold cavity, and cooling the plastic material to form the microplate with the plastic material forming the sidewalls of each of the first and second wells and the sheet of UV permeable material forming the bottom of each of the first and second wells. Another embodiment of the method includes providing an upper plate defining sidewalls of at least one well, adhering an intermediate layer to the upper plate and adhering a sheet of UV permeable material to the intermediate layer. A further embodiment of the method includes inserting a sheet of material having at least one hole into a mold cavity, injecting a molten plastic material into the mold cavity and cooling the plastic material to form a microplate.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates generally to microplates for assaying samples, and more specifically to microplates that have UV permeable bottom wells and methods of making such microplates.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe recent growth in many areas of biotechnology has increased the demand to perform a variety of studies, commonly referred to as assays, of biochemical systems. These assays include, for example, biochemical reaction kinetics, DNA melting point determinations, DNA spectral shifts, DNA and protein concentration measurements, excitation / emission of fluorescent probes, enzyme activities, enzyme-cofactor assays, homogeneous assays, drug metabolite assays, drug concentration assays, dispensing confirmation, volume confirmation, solvent concentration confirmation and solvation confirmation. Since most components of biochemical systems absorb radiation in the ultraviolet (UV) region of the electromagnetic spectrum (200 nm to 400 nm), UV absorption spectr...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

In still a further illustrative embodiment of the invention, a microplate is provided that comprises a frame that forms sidewalls of at least one well and a first layer that forms a bottom of the at least one well. The first layer is formed fr

Problems solved by technology

Despite the potential advantages of employing microplates having UV permeable bottom sheets, there has been limited progress in manufacturing such microplates.

One problem in designing these microplates relates to the polymeric materials that are typically used for microplate construction.

In particular, these polymeric materials usually have relatively high UV absorption probabilities.

Absorption of UV radiation by the polymeric materials results in the chemical and physical degradation of the microplates.

As a result, most known microplates have exceptionally high UV absorption probabilities, rendering them useless for experiments in which UV absorption of samples is used.

However, it is believed that microplates using this material for the well bottoms may have limited sensitivity in certain biochemcial experiments.

However, the cost of these microplates is often more than two orders of magnitude higher than the cost of a microplate formed entirely from polymeric materials, precluding their use for most studies.

In addition, the materials used to bond the quartz bottom plate to the microplate body may leach into samples contained within the wells of the microplate, contaminating the samples and compromising the reliability of the experimental results.

Furthermore, over time, the strength of the bond between the bottom plate and the body may deteriorate and form leaks between sample wells.

Hence, it remains a challenge in the art to provide a microplate that is relatively inexpensive, comparatively durable and includes well bottoms having an acceptable optical density across the entire useful range of the UV spectrum.

Images