Plates primer
Microtiter Plate (multi-well plate or simply just plate) is a flat plate with multiple wells used as small test tubes. The prototype of plate was created in 1951 but they became mainstream in 1980s. It is often made of clear or opaque plastic, and cost around 5$ depending on the additional features. Even thought in laboratories they use variety of plates, Luminex devices support just two sizes: 96 and 384 well plates. The first one is more popular, it should be our priority. Wells are arranged in a grid like pattern and there are index with a letter and a number. Some plates have a special coating or treatment, which simplifies experiments, by omitting certain steps, of course those plates cost more.
A very common usage is the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the basis of most modern medical diagnostic testing in humans and animals.
Wells are arranged in an 8x12 grid. Each well is identified by a combination of letters (A-H) and numbers (1-12). Example of wells Indices: A1, F6, H12. Size of those plates is standardised 127.76 mm x 85.48 mm with wells diameter equal 6.4 mm. Different plates varies in depth of wells but it's generally around 11 mm.
What is unexpected is the fact that it has exactly the same dimension as 96 wells plate, so 127.76 mm x 85.48 mm. Wells are packed denser and are smaller holding approximately 1/4th volume compare to the well on plate of size 96. Wells are arranged in a 16x24 grid. Each well is identified by a combination of letters (A to P) and numbers (1 to 24). Example of wells Indices: A1, L11, N9, P24.
