Advanced Plate Washing System Augments Most Microplate Readers

One essential accessory is a dedicated microplate washer.

The latest generation automated microplate washer – the Hydrospeed - is now available from Tecan (Männedorf, Switzerland). This instrument is an advanced system for optimizing washing of cells, beads, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) in 96- and 384-well formats. The system incorporates a universal 96-indexing wash head that processes both 96- and 384-well plates with automated buffer switching of up to four wash buffers within a wash protocol.

The HydroSpeed features advanced "Cell Protection” settings for washing of adherent and loosely adherent cells, allowing the user to dial-in extra gentle wash parameters. An innovative "Anti¬Clogging” function prevents buildup of crystalized ELISA reagents by automatically rinsing and soaking the wash head when the system is idle between runs.
For bead-based assays the HydroSpeed employs a patent pending design with two magnets per well for high performance magnetic bead washing, offering fast bead settling and excellent recovery rates. The instrument can also be equipped with a vacuum filtration module for processing of nonmagnetic beads.

The user controls the system through an intuitive touchscreen interface that allows programming of extra gentle drop-wise dispensing and aspiration settings to help avoid loss of material and maximize assay efficiency.

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