Raised surface assay plate

Abstract

The assay plate includes a substrate having an substrate surface and at least one raised pad extending from the substrate surface. The raised pad includes a substantially planar sample receiving surface configured for holding a sample thereon for in-situ experimentation. The sample receiving surface preferably has at least one sharp edge at the junction between a sidewall coupling the sample receiving surface to the substrate surface. The sample receiving surface is preferably a circle, oval, square, rectangle, triangle, pentagon, hexagon, or octagon shape that is sized to hold a predetermined volume of the sample. A method of using the above described assay plate is also provided. Once a raised pad extending from a substrate is formed, a sample is deposited on the raised pad. Experiments are subsequently performed using the sample on the raised pad.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 428,164, filed Nov. 21, 2002, which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The invention relates generally to a device used for the testing of physical, chemical, biological or biochemical properties, characteristics, or reactions. More particularly, the invention is directed to an assay plate having an array of raised pads or plateaus for receiving samples thereon. [0004] 2. Description of Related Art [0005] Assay plates, otherwise know as assay trays, sample trays, microtiter plates, microplates, well plates, or multi-well test plates, are well known in the art. These assay plates are generally used for chemical or biological experiments, such as the parallel detection and monitoring of biological or chemical reactions, cell growth, virus isolation, titration, toxicity tests, characterization tes...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The invention is an assay plate with raised pads that can hold samples for in-situ experimentation. The raised pads have sharp edges that allow for the holding of samples with fluid or gel properties. The samples can be deposited on the raised pads and processed using various methods. The assay plate can also contain different components in different samples, allowing for the testing of the effects of additional or inactive components on the transfer of active components across tissue. The invention provides an unobstructed view of the samples and allows for unobstructed contact with biological substances for permeability experiments. The invention also allows for the testing of pharmaceutical compositions or formulations to determine the optimal composition or formulation for improved tissue transport."

Problems solved by technology

Existing virtual-well-plate designs do not work well with low-surface-tension fluids, since they are designed to contain aqueous samples.

Plates with depressed wells also exhibit problems when working with organic solvent-based fluids, since these liquids tend to wick up the sides of the wells.

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