Advanced Plate Washing System Augments Most Microplate Readers

The many and varied types of assays carried out in microplates has placed the microplate reader and related instruments at the center of many research laboratories. One essential accessory is a dedicated microplate washer.

The latest generation automated microplate washer – the Hydrospeed - is now available from Tecan (Männedorf, Switzerland). This instrument is an advanced system for optimizing washing of cells, beads, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) in 96- and 384-well formats. The system incorporates a universal 96-indexing wash head that processes both 96- and 384-well plates with automated buffer switching of up to four wash buffers within a wash protocol.

The HydroSpeed features advanced "Cell Protection” settings for washing of adherent and loosely adherent cells, allowing the user to dial-in extra gentle wash parameters. An innovative "Anti¬Clogging” function prevents buildup of crystalized ELISA reagents by automatically rinsing and soaking the wash head when the system is idle between runs.
For bead-based assays the HydroSpeed employs a patent pending design with two magnets per well for high performance magnetic bead washing, offering fast bead settling and excellent recovery rates. The instrument can also be equipped with a vacuum filtration module for processing of nonmagnetic beads.

The user controls the system through an intuitive touchscreen interface that allows programming of extra gentle drop-wise dispensing and aspiration settings to help avoid loss of material and maximize assay efficiency.

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