This section provides an overview for microplates as well as their applications and principles. Also, please take a look at the list of 3 microplate manufacturers and their company rankings. Here are the top-ranked microplate companies as of November, 2024: 1.BrandTech Scientific, Inc..
Table of Contents
A microplate, sometimes called a microtiter plate, is a laboratory tool used primarily in biochemical experiments. It consists of multiple transparent wells, functioning similarly to small petri dishes. The design of the wells, including their shape, color, volume, surface material, and coating, varies according to the intended use.
Microplates enable simultaneous experiments across many wells, making them ideal for collecting large amounts of data under consistent conditions. They are used in cell line and microorganism culturing, dilution series measurement, and with microplate readers for absorption and fluorescence detection. Common applications include ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) in biochemistry and clinical testing, and high throughput screening (HTS) in drug discovery. They are also used for direct sample observation under a microscope or for cellular imaging.
Microplates are coated with various materials to facilitate sample adsorption and immobilization. ELISA, involving highly specific antigen-antibody reactions, is a common use. In ELISA, antibodies bind to antigens on the microplate, with the luminescence from an enzyme reaction detectable by a microplate reader. This method allows for the quantitative measurement of trace samples with high sensitivity and without radiation exposure.
Microplates vary from the standard 96-well plate to versions with 6 to 9,600 wells. The well size inversely correlates with the number of wells.
Wells can be flat-bottomed, round-bottomed, or V-bottomed, each suited for specific applications, such as bottom-reading plate readers, cell culture, or sample collection.
Common materials include polystyrene, polypropylene, and glass, each offering different chemical resistance.
The non-surface-treated polystyrene surface is hydrophobic and can interact with and immobilize biomolecules with hydrophobic portions, such as antibodies. Some have high-binding surface coatings that enhance binding to hydrophobic molecules, while others have hydrophilic surface (polyethylene oxide-like) coatings to minimize intermolecular interactions.
Others have surface-coated molecular structures (e.g., maleimide or hydroxy groups) that covalently bind to and immobilize specific functional groups of the sample, allowing them to orient and immobilize specific biomolecules.
While transparent is standard, black and white plates are used to reduce light scattering in fluorescence and enhance signal-to-noise ratio in luminescence detection, respectively.
*Including some distributors, etc.
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Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., founded in 1956 and headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, is a manufacturer and supplier of life science solutions, analytical instruments, specialty diagnostics, laboratory products, and biopharma services. Through its brand names, including Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific, Patheon, Applied Biosystems, and Gibco, among others, the company provides a wide range of products, which include chromatography systems, thermal cyclers, automated cell counters, fermenters, and DNA polymerases. The company’s annual revenue is over 40 billion USD, and it serves several fields, including customers working in clinical diagnostic labs, research institutions, hospitals, government agencies, and pharmaceutical/biotech companies.
BrandTech Scientific was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Essex, Connecticut. BrandTech Scientific supports laboratory sciences as a distributor for German-made supplies in Canada and the United States. BrandTech Scientific’s products include categories such as liquid handling including pipettes and instrumentation, life science such as PCR products and microplates, laboratory vacuum such as rotary vein pumps, lab support jacks, lab ware such as test tube racks, volumetric lab ware hardware and software, and lab rat gear, as well as offering vacuum pump selection guides.
Hirschmann Laborgeräte GmbH & Co. KG, established in 1964 and headquartered in Eberstadt, Germany, is a manufacturer of laboratory instruments, volumetric analysis glass instruments, and precision capillaries. The company offers a range of products, including peristaltic pumps, liquid handling systems, volumetric instruments, and precision capillaries. It also offers volumetric measuring, hematocrit capillaries, counting chambers, and syringe filters. Its peristaltic pumps offer high chemical resistance and are suitable for use with aggressive, corrosive, and viscous media. Additionally, the company has achieved ISO 9001:2015 certifications. It serves various industries, including pharmaceuticals, chemicals, food and beverage, and environmental analysis.
Ranking as of November 2024
Derivation MethodRank | Company | Click Share |
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1 | BrandTech Scientific, Inc. |
100.0%
|
Derivation Method
The ranking is calculated based on the click share within the microplate page as of November 2024. Click share is defined as the total number of clicks for all companies during the period divided by the number of clicks for each company.Number of Employees
Newly Established Company
Company with a History
*Including some distributors, etc.
*Including some distributors, etc.
Country | Number of Companies | Share (%) |
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United States of America | 2 | 100.0% |