Plate Readers, Gel Imagers, PCR | Shared Instrumentation Facility

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Multi-Mode Microwell Plate Readers

Hybrid Plate Reader: Optimal flexibility for absorbance, fluorescence and luminescence experiments.
Dual Dispensers: Preload up to two reagents into the syringe driven dispenser to be dispensed immediately before the plate is read.
Variable Bandwidth: Fluorescence excitation and emission bandwidth can be set between 9-50nm allowing optimization of assay performance.
Filter Cubes: Dual filter cube holder allows for simple high-sensitivity experiments.

Known Quality: Though much newer, this reader uses the same design as the older H1 with dispensers and carries all the same benefits plus…
Extended Range: Struggling with dynamic range? Tired of seeing OVERLIMIT on your data? Set the photomultiplier to extended range mode and gain another two orders of magnitude of dynamic range.
Fluorescence Polarization: Polarizing filters enable fluorescence polarization experiments without compromising standard absorbance, fluorescence, and luminescence experiments.

Simple to Use: Follow on-screen instructions to quickly begin imaging your gels.
Intuitive Touchscreen: No need to learn complicated software
Cryo-Camera: 8.3 MP CCD is cooled to –25°C for optimum sensitivity.
Fluorescent Multiplexing: Analyze multiple fluorophores in rapid succession.
Automatic Exposure: Instrument will take sequentially longer images until an optimum exposure is reached.
Limited Software: Image shown after acquisition is brightness and contrast adjusted, not the raw image. Gels with little signal will appear grainy as the contrast is set very high. Raw images are available and should be transferred to your flash drive when you download your data.
Ethidium Bromide OK: Though the facility encourages users to move away from ethidium bromide in favor of less mutagenic alternatives, imaging ethidium bromide stained gels is acceptable here.

Simple Interface: With the large responsive touchscreen and easy to use integral software, most users are able to use this instrument with no training.
Strong Automation: Automatic tray with +/-10° gel alignment, autofocus, and autozoom help you get the best image the first time.
Smart Exposure: Rapidly determines optimal exposure time, minimizing the need to repeat exposures. 9.1 MP cooled camera can also be run in an number of binning modes to improve sensitivity.
High Dynamic Range: Combine optimized short and long exposures into a single image to capture an extended linear dynamic range.
LED-Based Transiluminator: Reduce UV exposure while exciting modern DNA staining reagents such as SYBR Safe, SYBR Green, etc.
Strong Software: Download the iBright Analysis software for free and process your images from your office.
No Ethidium Bromide: This instrument may not be used with ethidium bromide stained gels.

Thanks to the Division of Pharmaceutics and Pharmacology for helping to fund the purchase of the iBright.

High-Sensitivity: Ambiguous rt-PCR results? ∆CT greater than 30? Digital PCR can give you an answer. Demonstrated sensitivity down to 0.1% MAF with sample pooling.
High-Reproducibility: Chip-based digital PCR with integral QC. You prepare your sample, load it into the plate well, and seal with isolation buffer. The instrument takes over from there performing the partitioning, PCR, and imaging. Remove operator error, let the instrument do the work.
Quantitative Results: Poisson statistics use the number of silent wells to determine the number of gene copies present in the original sample.
Multiplexing: Four fluorescent channels allow for complex assays to be carried out in parallel.

Versatile System: The system was recently re-configured for 96-well fast (0.1 mL) plates. We also have blocks for 384-well plates and TaqMan Array Cards. Please reach out to staff if you are interested in these, we do not stock calibrants for all the blocks.
Easy Set-Up: Use the control PC or integrated software to quickly set up your experiment and analyze your data.
Broad Applicability: 6-color filter wheel provides 21 color combinations for strong multiplexing capability.

Simple to use: Touch screen interface and straight-forward integral software allow you to quickly set up your PCR curve.
Multiple Experiments: We most frequently employ the 3×32 block which allows for three separate PCR experiments to be run simultaneously. We also have the traditional 96-well plate block, please reach out to staff to re-configure the instrument if needed.