Determination of well-to-well crosstalk in microplates used for luminescence measurements

The use of luminescence assays and reagents

in drug discovery has increased significantly

over the past ten years due to a

combination of ease of use, very high

specificity of assays and good sensitivity at

low levels of screened compounds. Modern

photometric instruments are able to

accurately count very low levels of photon

emissions from luminescence substrates and

this has led to an increasing focus on the

optical cross talk inherent in the design of

SBS/ANSI standard microplates and the

signal-to-noise ratio that can be

experimentally obtained. This short paper

compares the observable optical cross talk in

three different manufacturers’ micro well

plates and finds that the use of a black

supporting matrix can significantly improve

sensitivity in microplate assays.