SpectraDrop Micro-Volume Microplate

This application note highlights the use of the SpectraDrop™ Micro-Volume Microplate for rapid, low-volume protein quantitation via UV absorbance. The plate’s innovative design, featuring a Teflon-coated slide and adjustable path lengths, enables accurate measurement of BSA concentrations ranging from 0.012 mg/mL to 100 mg/mL — eliminating the need for sample dilution. Ideal for high-throughput workflows, the SpectraDrop plate streamlines protein analysis with sample volumes as low as 2 µL.

Nucleic acid and protein quantitation are essential measurements upstream of many sophisticated assays in genetics and molecular biology. Various methods have been developed to quantitate these biological components, however, the most commonly used technique is still ultra-violet (UV) spectrophotometry.

Molecular Devices SpectraDrop™ Micro-Volume Microplate allows users to read up to 64 samples per plate on SpectraMax® Microplate Readers, with sample volumes as low as 2 µL. The SpectraDrop Microplate incorporates a specially designed adapter and a slide pair whose optical clarity allows measurements in absorbance and fluorescence modes to meet users’ application needs. The SpectraDrop Microplate’s slide design eliminates the need for calibration and gives consistent well-to-well reads with CVs below 5%.

Measurement of DNA using UV absorbance is a common method allowing quantitation of many sample types. However, some applications require quantitation of very low sample volumes or concentrations due to preparation method or scarcity of source material. For these applications, fluorescent DNA quantitation methods offer greater sensitivity and the ability to use smaller sample volumes with lower concentrations.