CartProduct Selection Guide
For MatTek Glass Bottom Dishes and Glass Bottom Multiwell Plates
How to choose the correct dish for your application?
How do you know which Glass Bottom Culture Dish to choose? This fast question and answer guide will help you select the proper dish for your application.
If you would like, a pdf version of this guide is available.
1. Should I use 35 mm or 50 mm diameter dishes, or one of the multi-well plates?
The 35 mm dishes are used for most applications. The 50 mm dishes are usually chosen for microinjection work because of their larger diameter and lower side walls that allow for easier access to the cells.
Sample part #s: P35G-0-10-C, P50G-1.5-14-F
For customers who want to prepare a large number of identical cultures, you may want to consider our 6-, 12-, 24-, or 96-well glass bottom plates.
Sample part #s: P06G-0-10-F, P12G-0-14-F.
2. What coverslip thickness should I use?
Glass bottom dishes are available with No. 0, No. 1.0, and No. 1.5 coverslips. In many instances, your microscope manufacturer will specify coverslip thickness (No.) for your microscope model and the specific objective you're using. The No. 0 coverslip gives you the most working distance. Some objectives are designed to work best with a No. 1.0 coverslip.
Sample part #s: P35G-0-10-C, P50G-1.5-14-F.
3. What diameter microwell should I use, 10 mm, 14 mm, or 20 mm?
For most applications, a 14 mm glass microwell is sufficient. Choose the 20 mm diameter microwell to maximize viewing area. If your application is cell-limited and/or you are concerned about media or reagent consumption, then you should choose the 10 mm diameter microwell.
Sample part #s: P35G-0-14-C, P35G-1.5-20-C.
4. Should I use a coated or uncoated coverslip? If I need to use a coated coverslip, should I use the poly-d-lysine coating or the collagen coating?
If your cells grow well on uncoated glass, then order the dishes that come with an uncoated coverslip (P35G and P50G series). If your cells do not grow on uncoated glass, try our poly-d-lysine coated (P35GC and P50GC series) or collagen coated dishes (P35GCOL series).
Poly-d-lysine is used for neuronal research since most neurons will not grow on un-coated glass. It is also useful for other primary cells as well. For other cell types such as endothelial, hepatocytes or muscle cells, collagen coating helps with cell attachment, spreading and rapid expansion of cell populations. All of our coated dishes are lot certified with primary hippocampal neurons.
Sample part #s: P35GC-0-14-C, P35GCOL-1.5-10-C
5. Should I use a dish with a gridded coverslip?
Some researchers would like to microinject specific cells and then be able to monitor individual cells as a function of time in culture. The use of gridded glass bottom coverslip dishes greatly facilitates such studies.
Sample part #s: P35G-2-14-C-GRID, P50G-2-14-F-GRID.
Both products contain photo-etched gridded coverslips (No. 2 thickness, alphanumeric grid of 520 coded squares. Each square is 600 x 600 um) from Bellco Glass.
Purchasing
Have you decided on the dish specifications that you need? Take a look at the product and price list (pdf) to choose a Glass Bottom Dish or Multi-Well Plate that suits your needs.
Interested in non-standard sizes? We can make custom size Glass Bottom Dishes.
Not 100% certain that our products will work for your application? We offer free samples.
Summary Table:
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Dish Diameter / Plate Type
a. 35 or 50 millimeter diameter dish. |
|
Glass Thickness
Standard coverslip No. 0, 1.0, 1.5, or 2 are available. |
|
Microwell Diameter
Glass surface that is 10, 14, or 20 mm in diameter. |
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Coating
Uncoated, poly-d-lysine, or collage coated dishes are available. |