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Cyclic olefin polymers: innovative materials for high-density multiwell plates
Walter D Niles1, Peter J Coassin
1Niles Research Corporation, 6519 Caminito Catalan, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA. lane@laneniles.com
Assay and Drug Development Technologies
|June 10, 2008
Summary
Cyclic olefin polymer (COP) plates improve data quality in miniaturized high-throughput screening. These advanced plasticware materials overcome limitations of standard microtiter plates for cell-based assays.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Laboratory Automation
- Assay Development
Background:
- Miniaturization in ultra-high-throughput experiments (UHTE) often leads to compromised assay data quality.
- Microtiter plates are a critical, yet often overlooked, source of assay variability.
- Material degradation, optical distortion, and chemical contamination from standard plasticware impact assay performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the physical and chemical properties of cyclic olefin polymer (COP) resins for high-density multiwell plates.
- To assess the impact of COP materials on the performance of miniaturized cell-based assays.
- To highlight COP as a superior alternative to standard plasticware for automated laboratory systems.
Main Methods:
- Review of the physical and chemical properties of cyclic olefin polymer (COP) resins.
- Comparative analysis of cell culture and cell-based assay performance in COP versus standard plastic multiwell plates.
- Assessment of data quality in miniaturized assays using COP platforms.
Main Results:
- Cells difficult to culture in standard plastics demonstrated improved growth in miniaturized COP wells.
- Cell-based assays showing data deterioration in standard plasticware exhibited robust data quality recovery when miniaturized in COP.
- COP materials offer structural strength, optical clarity, and biocompatibility beneficial for high-density plates.
Conclusions:
- Cyclic olefin polymer (COP) resins present a significant advantage for high-density multiwell plates in miniaturized assays.
- COP materials effectively mitigate data quality issues associated with standard plasticware in automated laboratory systems.
- The adoption of COP is encouraged for the screening and biological communities to enhance assay performance.
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