Miniaturized plate readers for low-cost, high-throughput phenotypic screening

Paul A Jensen; Bonnie V Dougherty; Thomas J Moutinho Jr; Jason A Papin

doi:10.1177/2211068214555414

Miniaturized plate readers for low-cost, high-throughput phenotypic screening

J Lab Autom. 2015 Feb;20(1):51-5. doi: 10.1177/2211068214555414. Epub 2014 Nov 3.

Authors

Paul A Jensen¹, Bonnie V Dougherty², Thomas J Moutinho Jr³, Jason A Papin⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA Biology Department, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA.
² Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
³ Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA Department of Biomedical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, USA.
⁴ Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA papin@virginia.edu.

Abstract

We present a miniaturized plate reader for measuring optical density in 96-well plates. Our standalone reader fits in most incubators, environmental chambers, or biological containment suites, allowing users to leverage their existing laboratory infrastructure. The device contains no moving parts, allowing an entire 96-well plate to be read several times per second. We demonstrate how the fast sampling rate allows our reader to detect small changes in optical density, even when the device is placed in a shaking incubator. A wireless communication module allows remote monitoring of multiple devices in real time. These features allow easy assembly of multiple readers to create a scalable, accurate solution for high-throughput phenotypic screening.

Keywords: growth curve; multiwell plate assays; phenotypic screening; plate reader.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Automation, Laboratory / methods
Cytological Techniques / instrumentation*
Cytological Techniques / methods*
High-Throughput Screening Assays / instrumentation*
High-Throughput Screening Assays / methods*
Spectrophotometry / instrumentation*
Spectrophotometry / methods*

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding