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Frequently Asked Questions
Multi-Well Glass Bottom Culture Plates
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Should you have any further questions, please contact us.
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| Q1 |
Plate utilization |
How are multi-well glass bottom plates typically used?
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| Q2 |
Advantages of plates |
What are the advantages of using multi-well glass bottom plates compared to the standard glass bottom culture dishes?
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| Q4 |
Common users |
Who are the main users of multi-well glass bottom plates?
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| Q5 |
Customer feedback |
What kind of feedback have you got from customers?
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| Q6 |
Microscope type |
What type of microscope is the best for multi-well glass bottom plates?
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| Q10 |
Coverslip removal |
Can the coverslips be removed from the glass bottom 6-well, 12-well and 24-well plates?
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| Q11 |
DIC/Nomarski (Use of P24GTOP-1.5-F) |
How can I use the glass bottom multi-well plates for Nomarski Differential Interference Contrast (DIC) microscopy?
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| Q7 |
Well depth/height |
How deep are the wells of the glass bottom multi-well plates? What is the height of the well sidewall?
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| Q8 |
Well diameter |
What is the diameter of the wells in the standard glass bottom multi-well plates?
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| Q9 |
Chemical compatibility |
What is the chemical compatibility of the glass bottom dishes and multi-well plates? Can they be used with organic solvents?
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| Q3 |
Plate coatings |
Can I get poly-d-lysine or collagen coated glass bottom multi-well plates?
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A1 |
How are multi-well glass bottom plates typically used?
The Multi-Well Glass Bottom Dishes can be used for almost all of the same applications for which the standard glass bottom dishes can be used. The biggest applications are fluorescence/immunofluorescence microscopy, confocal, live cell imaging, microinjection, videomicroscopy, phase contrast and time lapse photomicroscopy.
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A2 |
What are the advantages of using multi-well glass bottom plates compared to the standard glass bottom culture dishes?
1: The main advantage of the multi-well glass bottom plates is that you can grow 6, 12 ,24 or 96 cultures under identical conditions in the same culture plate. The multi-well plates are ideal for high throughput, high/high content screening applications.
2: Analysis using the multi-well plates is streamlined because only one (1) plate (versus multiple petri dishes) needs to be handled.
3: For a number of applications, treatment of the cultures (e.g., irradiation) is simplified using the multi-well plates.
4: Smaller wells in the glass bottom multi-well plates are useful for application of precious reagents in smaller volumes.
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A3 |
Can I get poly-d-lysine or collagen coated glass bottom multi-well plates?
Availability:
Currently, only poly-d-lysine coated 96-well plates are available as standard products (Part #'s: P96GC-0-5-F and P96GC-1.5-0-F).
Special Orders:
All uncoated plates are available coated on a special order basis. However, because no samples of coated multi-well plates are available, it is recommended that you request a sample of the uncoated multi-well plate (to inspect the geometry and/or apply your own coating) along with a coated glass bottom dish (to insure your cells will grow on the coated glass). This pre-testing is important because special order plates cannot be returned.
Pricing:
Special order plates are $60/case above the corresponding uncoated multi-well plates. There is a $50 special order charge that is waived when 3 or more cases are ordered.
Delivery:
Lead time for special orders is 6-8 weeks.
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A4 |
Who are the main users of multi-well glass bottom plates?
Pharmaceutical Companies (due to high throughput testing), Academic/Research Institutions, and Medical Institutions.
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A5 |
What kind of feedback have you got from customers?
Feedback has been very positive. A number of customers have purchased multi-well plates without first trying a sample based on their previous experience with the standard glass bottom dishes for new users.
For new users, a sample plate is available for evaluation.
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A6 |
What type of microscope is the best for multi-well glass bottom plates?
The 6-well glass bottom plate can be used with upright or inverted microscopes. However, the 12-well, 24-well and 96-well plates are compatible with inverted microscopes.
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A7 |
How deep are the wells of the glass bottom multi-well plates? What is the height of the well sidewall?
The depth of the micro-wells and the height of the sidewall depends on the type of multi-well plate:
1. 6-well plate: 1.45-1.55 mm/ 17 mm
2. 12-well plate: 1.45-1.55 mm/ 17 mm
3. 24-well plate: 1.10-1.20 mm/ 17 mm
4. 96-well plate: 1.05-1.25 mm/ 10 mm
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A8 |
What is the diameter of the wells in the standard glass bottom multi-well plates?
1. 6-well plate: 10, 14, or 20 mm
2. 12-well plate: 10 or 14 mm
3. 24-well plate: 10 or 13 mm
4. 96-well plate: 5 mm
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A9 |
What is the chemical compatibility of the glass bottom dishes and multi-well plates? Can they be used with organic solvents?
The body of the glass bottom dishes and multi-well plates is made from polystyrene. Therefore, they have limited compatibility with organic solvents. Please see the chemical compatibility table below.
| Solvent |
Chemical Compatibility |
| Acetone |
Poor |
| Ammonium hydroxide (1N) |
Fair |
| Ammonium hydroxide (25%) |
Fair |
| Aniline |
Good |
| Butanol |
Good |
| Chloroform |
Poor |
| Dimethylformamide |
Poor |
| Dimethylsulfoxide(DMSO) |
Poor |
| DMSO/H2O (20/80) |
Good |
| Dioxane |
Poor |
| Ethanol |
Good |
| Hexane |
Poor |
| Hydrochloric acid (25%) |
Good |
| Hydrochloric acid (concentrated) |
Fair |
| Methanol |
Good |
| Methyl ethyl diketone |
Poor |
| Methylene chloride |
Poor |
| Nitric acid (25%) |
Poor |
| Nitric acid (concentrated) |
Poor |
| Sodium hydroxide |
Good |
| Toluene |
Poor |
| Xylene |
Poor |
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A10 |
Can the coverslips be removed from the glass bottom 6-well, 12-well and 24-well plates?
Yes. However, for most applications, cells growing in the glass bottom multi-well plates can be viewed without removal of the coverslips. If necessary (e.g. for long term storage purposes), the coverslips can be removed using the following procedure:
1. Order Part # PDCF OS 30 (Dow Corning fluid OS 30, available from MatTek).
2. Place the cover of the multi-well plate on a clean surface top side up. (Do not invert the cover).
3. Pipette 3.0 ml of OS 30 onto the top side of the cover.
4. Place the bottom of the multi-well plate on top of the cover. The OS 30 liquid on the cover should be touching the coverslips attached to the bottom of the multi-well plate.
5. Allow the plate to sit in the OS 30 for 45 minutes at room temperature.
6. Blot the bottom of the multi-well plate using an absorbent paper towel.
7. Place the multi-well plate on a clean surface. Using forceps, press down on the edge of the coverslips to separate the coverslips from the plate.
Note: If the above procedure is followed, the PDCF OS 30 liquid will not contact the cells and will not disrupt cells on the coverslip or the staining thereof.
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A11 |
How can I use the glass bottom multi-well plates for Nomarski Differential Interference Contrast (DIC) microscopy?
You will need to order BOTH a glass bottom multi-well plate and a glass cover. Order any P06G plate (e.g. P06G-1.5-20-F), P12G plate (e.g. P12G-1.5-14-F), or P24G plate (e.g. P24G-1.5-13-F) along with a glass cover (Part# P24GTOP-1.5-F). The glass covers can be re-used following re-sterilization of the covers by soaking them in 70% ethanol for 30 minutes.
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