What are the specific steps for cleaning microplate

Microplate is a commonly used tool in biological experiments and is widely used in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), cell culture, drug screening and other fields. To ensure the accuracy and reliability of experimental results, the cleaning of microplate is crucial, and improper cleaning may lead to cross-contamination or experimental error.

1. Preparation stage 1. Confirm the material of the orifice plate: First, confirm the material of the micro-porous plate, because different materials of orifice plates may require different cleaning methods. Common materials include plastic materials such as polystyrene (PS) and polypropylene (PP). 2. Prepare cleaning tools: Prepare the tools needed for cleaning, such as pipettes, guns (or suction heads), bottle washing, absorbent paper, test tube rack, etc. Also, make sure that the cleaning solution (such as PBS buffer or other appropriate solution) has been prepared and placed in the right place.

2. Cleaning steps 1. Aspirate the liquid in the hole: Use a pipette or a drain gun to suck out the liquid in the hole, be careful not to touch the cells or residues at the bottom of the hole. If there are adherent cells in the well, you can use trypsin to digest it and then pipette it into a suspension and then aspirate it. 2. Add cleaning solution: Use a drain gun to add a sufficient amount of cleaning solution to each well, usually 200~300μl per well (the specific volume can be adjusted according to the experimental requirements). Be careful to add slowly along the hole wall to avoid bubbles. 3. Soak and shake: Let the cleaning solution soak in the hole for a period of time (such as 2 to 3 minutes), then gently shake the orifice plate several times, or use a shaker to shake to help remove residue. 4. Aspirate the cleaning liquid: Use a pipette or drain gun again to suck out the cleaning liquid in the hole, be careful not to touch the bottom of the hole. If necessary, the above cleaning steps can be repeated once or more times until the orifice plate is cleaned. 5. Pat dry or air dry: Place the cleaned micro-well plate on absorbent paper and pat it gently several times to remove residual cleaning liquid, or place it on an ultra-cleaning table to dry. Be careful not to use a tissue to wipe the bottom of the orifice plate to avoid affecting the reading or causing scratches.

3. Precautions 1. Avoid cross-contamination: Pay attention to avoid cross-contamination during cleaning, especially when multiple different samples are processed. It is recommended to process only one sample’s orifice plate at a time and replace a new pipette tip and gloves after one sample is processed. 2. Control the cleaning force: Pay attention to controlling the strength during the cleaning process to avoid excessive force causing damage to the orifice plate or cells to fall off. 3. Select the appropriate cleaning solution: Select the appropriate cleaning solution according to experimental needs and ensure that its pH value and ion concentration are suitable for cell growth or subsequent experiments. 4. Regular maintenance of the plate washing machine: If you use the plate washing machine for cleaning, you need to regularly maintain the equipment, such as checking whether the pipeline is unobstructed and whether there is liquid leakage, etc. to ensure the normal operation of the equipment and the cleaning effect.

Cleaning the microplate is a meticulous and important task that directly affects the quality and reliability of the experiment. Through reasonable cleaning steps, such as preliminary rinsing, cleaning the surface of the orifice plate, thorough removal of detergent residues and correct drying and storage, the service life of the microplate can be effectively extended and its performance is not affected.

Related reading recommendations

OT-2 Declaration of Conformity

6 resources for life scientists working from home

Why is it necessary to automate nucleic acid preparation

Opentrons OT-2 Nucleic Acid Extraction Workstation Workflow

What equipment do OT-2 NGS workstations need to be configured

Full automatic pipetting workstation mass spectrometry pretreatment