A cell culture plate, also known as a multi-well plate, is a flat, rectangular vessel used for the cultivation of cells in vitro. It is a fundamental tool in cell biology, allowing for the growth, maintenance, and experimentation on cells in a controlled environment.

Technical Details

• Material:
  • Polystyrene: Most cell culture plates are made from polystyrene, a transparent plastic that allows for easy microscopic observation of cells. Plates can be treated for enhanced cell attachment or left untreated for non-adherent cell cultures.
• Well Configuration:
  • Multi-Well Format: Cell culture plates are available in various well configurations, typically 6, 12, 24, 48, 96, and 384 wells. Each well acts as an independent culture vessel, allowing for multiple experiments or conditions to be tested simultaneously.
  • Well Volume: The volume capacity of each well varies by plate type, ranging from a few microliters in 384-well plates to several milliliters in 6-well plates.
• Surface Treatment:
  • Tissue Culture Treated: Most plates undergo surface treatment (e.g., plasma or chemical) to enhance cell adhesion by increasing surface hydrophilicity.
  • Non-Treated: For non-adherent cells, non-treated plates are used to prevent cell attachment, allowing cells to remain in suspension.
• Sterility:
  • Sterile Packaging: Cell culture plates are typically sterilized via gamma irradiation or ethylene oxide and packaged individually or in sets to maintain sterility.
• Compatibility:
  • Microscope-Compatible: The clear bottom of the wells is designed for easy visualization under a microscope, enabling cell observation and imaging without transferring cells to another vessel.
  • Automation-Compatible: High-throughput formats like 96- and 384-well plates are compatible with automated liquid handling systems, making them suitable for large-scale screening and assays.

Applications

• Cell Growth and Maintenance: Commonly used for cultivating and maintaining various cell lines in research and industrial settings.
• High-Throughput Screening (HTS): Plates with a large number of wells (e.g., 96- and 384-well plates) are used in high-throughput screening for drug discovery and other applications.
• Assays and Experiments: Used for conducting biochemical assays, cytotoxicity tests, gene expression studies, and other cellular analyses.
• Clone Selection: Plates with a smaller number of wells (e.g., 6- or 12-well plates) are often used for clone selection and expansion in monoclonal antibody production.

Advantages

• Scalability: Enables parallel processing of multiple samples under identical or varied conditions.
• Reproducibility: Standardized well sizes and volumes ensure consistent experimental conditions across wells.
• Microscopy Compatibility: The transparent, flat-bottom design allows for direct microscopic observation and imaging, facilitating real-time analysis of cell behavior.