Microplates are an integral part of biology labs used in drug discovery and life science research. A very basic laboratory equipment, its main function is to measure chemical changes in biological samples. Right from from measuring a simple colorimetric change in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or monitoring a complex kinase binding interaction via time-resolved fluorescence (TRF) to tracking data in regulated environments requiring FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance, micro plate readers can do it all efficiently and hence enjoy extreme usage in numerous research areas including disease studies, compound investigation, assay development, bioassay validation, quality control, and bio-pharmaceutical manufacturing processes.
There are two basic types of Microplate readers available-