5 Must-Have Features in a 6-well cell culture plate

Sterlitech employs cookies for functional and analytical purposes, and this helps ensure you receive the most relevant information while navigating our website. By interacting with our site—scrolling through the page, clicking a link, or closing this notification—you consent to our use of cookies. To gain insights into our cookie practices, kindly review our Privacy Policy.

If you want to delve deeper into 6-well cell culture plate, we encourage you to reach out today for an expert consultation!

Essential Attributes of Multiwell Plates

Plate Utilization

Q1: In what scenarios are multi-well glass bottom plates commonly utilized?

MatTek's glass bottom multi-well plates are frequently employed for various microscopy techniques, including fluorescence/immunofluorescence microscopy, confocal imaging, live cell interactions, microinjection, and detailed time-lapse imaging. Essentially, these plates facilitate the same applications as traditional glass bottom dishes.

Q2: What benefits do multi-well glass bottom plates provide over standard glass bottom dishes?

1. The foremost advantage is the ability to cultivate multiple samples—6, 12, 24, 48, or 96 cultures—simultaneously under uniform conditions within a single plate. This design is perfect for high-throughput and high-content screening applications.
2. Multi-well plate analysis is efficient, requiring only a single plate to manage rather than multiple petri dishes.
3. Treatments—such as irradiation—on the cultures become more straightforward with multi-well plates.
4. Utilizing smaller wells allows for minimal volumes of precious reagents to be applied.

Q3: Who predominantly utilizes multi-well glass bottom plates?

Primary users include pharmaceutical companies engaged in high-throughput testing, academic and research institutions, as well as medical research organizations.

Q4: How has customer feedback been regarding these products?

Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Many customers, based on their previous experience with standard glass bottom dishes, have purchased multi-well plates without requesting a sample first.

New users can request a sample plate through our free sample page.

Q5: Which type of microscope is best suited for multi-well glass bottom plates?

The 6-well glass bottom plate can be used with both upright and inverted microscopes. However, the 12-well, 24-well, 48-well, and 96-well plates are solely compatible with inverted microscopes.

Q6: Can the coverslips be detached from the glass bottom 6-well, 12-well, and 24-well plates?

1. Request part # PDCF OS 30 (a specialized fluid for removing coverslips, available through MatTek).
2. Position the cover of the multi-well plate with the top side facing up on a clean surface (do not invert).
3. Pipette 3.0 ml of PDCF OS 30 fluid on the upper side of the cover.
4. Align the base of the multi-well plate on top of the cover, ensuring the coverslip removal liquid touches the coverslips beneath.
5. Let it sit for 45 minutes at room temperature.
6. Blot the bottom of the multi-well plate with absorbent paper.
7. Carefully use forceps to press down on the edges of the coverslips to detach them from the plate.

While it is indeed possible to remove the coverslips, most applications allow for direct observation of cell development within the glass bottom multi-well plates without this step. However, if needed (e.g., for long-term preservation), you can follow the above method:

Note: Following this procedure ensures that the PDCF OS 30 liquid does not contact the cells, preserving their integrity and staining. Coverslips can be removed without risk of breakage.

For those seeking long-term sample storage, MatTek chambered cell culture slides (available in configurations of 2, 4, and 8 wells) stand as an excellent alternative.

Q7: What’s the application of glass bottom multi-well plates for Nomarski Differential Interference Contrast (DIC) microscopy?

You must procure BOTH a glass bottom multi-well plate and a glass cover. This includes any P06G plate (e.g., part #: P06G-1.5-20-F), P12G plate (e.g., part #: P12G-1.5-14-F), or P24G plate (e.g., part #: P24G-1.5-13-F) alongside a glass cover (e.g., part# P24GTOP-1.5-F). The glass covers can be reused after re-sterilization through a 30-minute soak in 70% ethanol.

Q8: Are the glass bottom multi-well plates reusable?

MatTek glass bottom multi-well plates are designed for single-use applications.
We do NOT advise the reuse of these plates. The surface characteristics where cells are grown significantly impact cell structure and function. Reusing plates introduces unpredictable variables that could mislead experimental outcomes.

Our company excels as the world’s leading provider of 24 well cell culture plates. We cater to all your needs with a team of highly skilled professionals ready to assist you in locating the appropriate product.

Further Reading:
Guideline of Sample Test (Trigger Sprayers) - Moonlight Blog

Plate Characteristics

Q9: What are the dimensions of the wells in glass bottom multi-well plates?

1. 6-well plate: Microwell depth = 1.45-1.55 mm; Well depth = 17 mm
2. 12-well plate: Microwell depth = 1.45-1.55 mm; Well depth = 17 mm
3. 24-well plate: Microwell depth = 1.10-1.20 mm; Well depth = 17 mm
4. 48-well plate: Microwell depth = 1.05-1.20 mm; Well depth = 18 mm
5. 96-well plate: Microwell depth = 1.05-1.25 mm; Well depth = 10 mm

Q10: What is the diameter of the wells within standard glass bottom multi-well plates?

1. 6-well plate: 10, 14, or 20 mm
2. 12-well plate: 10 or 14 mm
3. 24-well plate: 10 or 13 mm
4. 48-well plate: 6 mm
5. 96-well plate: 5 mm

Q11: What volume of medium is required for glass bottom multi-well plates?

1. 6-well plate: 3-4 ml / well
2. 12-well plate: 1-2 ml / well
3. 24-well plate: 0.5-1.0 ml / well
4. 48-well plate: 0.25-0.35 ml / well
5. 96-well plate: 0.1-0.2 ml / well

Q12: What adhesive is used to affix coverslips to the plates?

While the specific composition of the adhesive is proprietary, it is a non-toxic silicone compatible with a broad array of cells including primary neurons and other fastidious types.

Q13: What’s the chemical compatibility of Glass Bottom Dishes and Multi-Well Plates? Are they suitable for organic solvents?

Acetone: Poor

Ammonium hydroxide (1N): Fair

Ammonium hydroxide (25%): Fair

Aniline: Good

Butanol: Good

Chloroform: Poor

Dimethylformamide: Poor

Dimethylsulfoxide(DMSO): Poor

DMSO/H2O (20/80): Good

Dioxane: Poor

Ethanol: Good

Hexane: Poor

Hydrochloric acid (25%): Good

Hydrochloric acid (concentrated): Fair

Methanol: Good

Methyl ethyl diketone: Poor

Methylene chloride: Poor

Nitric acid (25%): Poor

Nitric acid (concentrated): Poor

Sodium hydroxide: Good

Toluene: Poor

Xylene: Poor

The polystyrene construction of glass bottom dishes and multi-well plates yields limited compatibility with organic solvents. Consultation with the compatibility table is recommended.

Q14: How can I verify that the glass bottom multi-well plates are sterile?

All glass bottom multi-well plates undergo gamma irradiation from an FDA-approved vendor. We process dishes in bulk, commonly sterilizing multiple cases concurrently. Given the criticality of sterility to our customers, we employ an excessively high gamma dosage to ensure the plates remain uncontaminated.

After sterilization, the dishes undergo quality control evaluations to confirm sterility by being incubated in an antibiotic- and antifungal-free medium for a week. Additionally, each box features a gamma irradiation indicator that changes color upon exposure to gamma rays.

Q15: Do you offer black multi-well glass bottom plates to minimize cross-talk between wells?

Yes. To reduce back-scattered light and curtail background fluorescence, we provide 96-well glass bottom plates (part # PBK96G-1.5-5-F) in a black format. The properties mirror those of standard clear-wall 96-well glass bottom plates (part #: P96G-1.5-5.F), apart from the opaque (black) sidewalls of each well.

Note: Larger well plates (6-well, 12-well, 24-well, and 48-well glass bottom plates) typically do not face issues with back-scattered light.

Coating Options

Q16: Are poly-d-lysine or collagen coated glass bottom multi-well plates available for order?

Currently, only poly-d-lysine coated 96-well plates are offered as standard products (Part #s: P96GC-1.5-5-F and P96GC-0-5-F).

For further information, please check 96 well cell culture plate.