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Microplates for Cellular Assays / Cellular Fitness Testing
Cellular assay is a laboratory technique used to measure cell activity, viability, or other properties. Cellular fitness is a measure of a cell's ability to function and resist damage. Cellular assays are used in drug discovery, toxicity testing, cancer research, stem cell research, and cellular aging research.
Cellular assays are used in drug discovery and development to screen potential drug candidates for their ability to modulate cell activity or viability. They are also used in toxicity testing to assess the safety of chemicals and other agents by measuring their effects on cell activity and viability. Furthermore, cellular assays are applied in cancer research to study the growth and behavior of cancer cells, and to identify potential targets for cancer therapy. In addition, they are used in stem cell research to study the properties of stem cells and to develop methods for their culture and differentiation.
There are many different methods that can be used to conduct cellular assays. Some of the most common methods include microscopic assays, biochemical assays, immunofluorescence assays, cell viability assays, cell death assays, and microplate assays.
Microplate assays are a popular choice for cellular assays because they are high-throughput, cost-effective, and reproducible. They are also relatively easy to set up and perform, and they do not require specialized equipment.
In microplate assays, cells and reagents are added to wells in a microplate. The microplate is then placed in a microplate reader, which measures the optical density or fluorescence of the cells in each well. This information can be used to determine the cell viability, proliferation, differentiation, or other properties.
PreSens provides a an increasingly popular version for immobilized agents/reagents. It offers different forms of microplates with integrated pH and/or oxygen sensors. This has several advantages, including:
- The agents/reagents are more stable and don’t leach out of the wells.
- The cells can only interact with the agents/reagents that are immobilized on the surface of the wells, which reduces the risk of cross-contamination.
- The assays can easily be automated, which can save time and labor.
- Immobilized chemical-optical sensors can be easily reproduced, which is important for ensuring the accuracy of the results.
Microplate assays are a powerful tool for studying cell behavior and properties. They are used in a wide range of research and clinical applications, and they have the potential to provide insights into the mechanisms of disease and to develop new treatments.
Publications (some examples for further reading):
JOHN, Gernot T., et al., Integrated optical sensing of dissolved oxygen in microtiter plates: a novel tool for microbial cultivation. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 2003, 81, Nr. 7, 829-836.
DESHPANDE, Rahul Ravi, et al., Microplates with integrated oxygen sensors for kinetic cell respiration measurement and cytotoxicity testing in primary and secondary cell lines. Assay and Drug Development Technologies, 2005, 3, Nr. 3, 299-307.
HUTTER, Bernd; JOHN, Gernot T. Evaluation of OxoPlate for real-time assessment of antibacterial activities. Current Microbiology, 2004, 48, 57-61.
SDR SensorDish® Reader
The SDR SensorDish® Reader is a small 24-channel reader for oxygen and pH measurements in multidishes. It is specially designed for use in the incubator and thus the ideal tool for cell and bacterial cultures and any type of screenings. The SDR can be extended and parallel measurements with up to 10 SDRs (240 samples) is possible.
The SDR can be used with 24-well or 6-well SensorDishes® that contain an oxygen or pH sensor spot at the bottom of each well. The multidishes are put on top of the reader and measurements are conducted non-invasively through the dish bottom. SensorDishes® are available in different formats, also in a deep well format for shaken cultures.
Deep Well OxoDish® OD24-DW
OxoDish® OD24
Deep Well HydroDish® HD24-DW
HydroDish® HD24
OxoHydroDish OHD6