Microplate assays are essential tools in life sciences research, particularly in drug discovery. Their success largely depends on high-quality, sensitive microplate readers with the appropriate settings to ensure reliable and efficient outcomes. Modern microplate readers provide robust, reproducible results and seamlessly integrate into automated systems, making them ideal for high-throughput facilities that accelerate research.

Understanding how various microplate features and microplate reader settings impact data sensitivity and quality is crucial for achieving optimal assays with reliable, reproducible results. This content hub provides an in-depth exploration of how to fine-tune microplate reader settings to align with specific microplate features, backed by evidence on how these adjustments directly influence data quality. Additionally, this hub offers strategies to maximize assay data quality. Through case studies featuring BMG LABTECH equipment, you'll gain insight into how their expertise in microplate reading can significantly enhance the performance of your microplate assays.

Effectively using a microplate reader involves several key considerations during assay preparation, particularly regarding microplate type and color. The resources below are designed to help you select the right microplate, understand sources of measurement variance, optimize reader settings, and evaluate performance indicators for your assays.

Learn why microplate color is crucial for specific assay types — for instance, white plates are best for luminescence assays, while black plates excel in fluorescence intensity measurements. Choosing the wrong color can impair accuracy. Additionally, the well shape (round or square) and bottom design (F-, U-, V-, or C-bottom) affect light transmission and sample volume, as well as whether you should measure from above or below.

These resources will also guide you in minimizing sources of variance in microplate assays. Discover why an appropriate number of replicates matters, understand how sample volume impacts reader performance, and address issues like variable menisci through appropriate plate selection. You'll also find strategies to avoid common pipetting errors and techniques for preventing or removing bubbles from samples.

Microplate reader settings should be adjusted based on the assay and microplate type. Learn how to optimize lamp flashes, adjust gain settings to enhance light signals, and choose between bottom- or top-reading. Understand how to use focus height on advanced readers, when to use shaking or sample injection capabilities, and how to employ parameters like orbital or spiral well scanning for the best results.

Finally, these key resources will assist you in setting performance indicators for your assays. Learn how to determine limits of detection (LODs), understand the dynamic range (the range between the highest and lowest measurable values) of your assay, and generate the Z-prime statistic to assess assay quality.

The CLARIOstar^® Plus is the most-sensitive monochromator-based microplate reader. This high-performance multi-mode microplate reader from BMG LABTECH is equipped with revolutionary LVF Monochromators™, spectrometer, and filters.

Advanced microplate readers offer a range of adjustable parameters tailored for specific assays, sample types, and detection methods, including absorbance, fluorescence, and luminescence. Incorrect or sub-optimal settings can compromise measurement accuracy and data quality, ultimately impacting lab productivity. Explore the resources below to learn how to optimize settings such as gain, focal height, well-scanning modes, and lamp flashes. Additionally, gain valuable insights into optimizing heterogeneous cell-based assays.

In drug discovery and life sciences research, the stakes are high, and labs cannot afford downtime due to unreliable or inaccurate assay results. Mastering microplate readers and their settings, along with selecting the right microplate for each assay, is crucial for obtaining the best data and maintaining lab productivity.

Get the best out of your microplate reader

In this closing video, BMG LABTECH Application Specialists Ann-Cathrin Volz, Ph.D., and Martin Mangold, Ph.D., summarize the key points covered in this content hub. They discuss the impact of various plate reader parameters on your data and provide empirical evidence on how these settings affect data quality.