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P2066
Cyclic Olefin Polymer is a Superior Material For High-Density Multiwell Microtiter Plate Construction
Presenter Walter Niles, Aurora Biotechnologies Inc., USA
Additional Authors: Walter D. Niles, Peter J. Coassin, and Charles R. Powell
Miniaturizing biological assay sample volumes to <10 ƒÝl affords tremendous opportunities to expand biological knowledge in ultra-high-throughput screening by decreasing cost and making possible the testing of complex experimental designs. Multiwell microtiter plates are a key technology for ensuring that decreased-volume assays produce useful information. Critical requirements begin with the need for plates to remain mechanically uniform after fabrication to maintain the accuracy and precision of the liquid dispensing systems used to construct the assay and of the apparatus used to read the assay signals. Important additional requirements include high optical transmittance, low autofluorescence, and low birefringence in ultra-violet, visible, and infra-red wavelength ranges for sensitive fluorescence imaging measurements. Diverse desirable properties are chemical resistance to enable library storage, thermal resistance to allow sterilization and thermal cycling assays, and low permeabilities to gases and water to enable physical stabilization of the samples. A very important but often neglected requirement for cell-based assays is biocompatibility with living cells by the avoidance of sample contamination from heavy metals or other toxic chemical that can leach from the plastic. A corollary requirement is the capability to control surface wettability to tailor cell adherence and growth. We show that cyclo-olefin polymer (COP) resins meet these requirements to provide mechanically, chemically, and optically inert microtiter plates with superior performance to other plastics and at lower cost. In addition, it is demonstrated that superior cell-based fluorescence assay data is achieved by miniaturized assays performed in COP plates.