January 8, 2009, WINOOSKI VT, USA—BioTek Instruments, the global leader in microplate washing technologies, has perfected 1536-well microplate washing! The new EL406™ 1536-well Microplate Washer Dispenser offers fast and efficient microplate washing and reagent dispensing in 1536-well microplates, along with 384-well and 96-well formats for increased versatility. By combining microplate washing and up to three reagent dispensers, researchers no longer need to purchase and maintain separate instruments for each assay wash and reagent dispense step.

The EL406 incorporates many of the washing features as the market-leading ELx405™ Microplate Washer. BioTek’s patented Dual-Action™ manifold provides fully optimized applications from gentle washing of loosely adherent cell monolayers to complex washing routines. In addition, the EL406 is self-maintained, using integrated and patent pending Ultrasonic Advantage™ to reduce or eliminate clogged manifold tubes – the largest contributor to assay failure. A valve switching module automates reagent switching of up to 4 different buffers.

Additionally, researchers no longer need to limit themselves to one reagent dispenser technology. Accurate and precise reagent dispensing is available in both peristaltic and microprocessor-controlled syringe drive reagent dispensing technologies; each with its unique advantages for specific assay requirements. All functions are controlled via Liquid Handling Control™ (LHC) PC software or the instrument’s onboard keypad, including multiple custom protocols, instant recall via QuickWash and QuickDispense, and downloaded protocols from LHC software.

All EL406 models are BioStack™ Microplate Stacker compatible to automate long and tedious assay processes of up to 50 standard height microplates.

BioTek Instruments, Inc., headquartered in Winooski, VT, is a worldwide leader in the design, manufacture, and sale of microplate instrumentation and software. BioTek instrumentation is used to facilitate the drug discovery process, to advance discoveries in genomics and proteomics, and to aid in the advancement of life science research.