FrameStar^® PCR Plates

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Benefits

Warp free
Within SBS footprint pre and post PCR
Improved seal integrity
Recommended for low volume PCR
Thin-wall design for fast PCR
Reliable use with stackers and liquid handling robots
Guaranteed well integrity
Free of human DNA, RNAses and DNases
Clean-room produced
Bar coding & Colour options

Bar Coding

All skirted plates are available with linear barcodes for identification and traceability. The labels are highly scratch resistant and can withstand cold storage (-80°C) and solvents such as DMSO. Labels can be printed with human readable text and are available in code 39, 128 or interleaved 2 from 5 formats. For more details please see our Custom Barcode Form »

White Tubes

White Wells for fluorescence based analysis

For experiments involving fluorescence detection, e.g. qPCR, we have developed plates which are especially low in autofluorescence. For this type of experiment we recommend to use our plates with white wells to maximise signal intensity due to the reflective properties of the pigment.

Colour Options

Colour options

FrameStar^® plates are available with purple, blue, red, green, clear and black frames, all with clear tubes. In addition we offer plates with white tubes optimised for fluorescence assays. Plates with black tubes are available on request (please enquire).

Sealing Options

FrameStar^® two-component technology reduces evaporation from PCR plates, improving results and allowing for volume reductions to save money.

FrameStar^® PCR plates maximise thermal stability at high temperatures which prevents sample loss by minimising thermal expansion during PCR. The two-component design combines the advantages of thin wall polypropylene tubes for optimum PCR results and a rigid polycarbonate skirt and deck for highest thermal stability and rigidity. in contrast to standard one-piece PCR plates, evaporation from corner positions and outer rows of wells is minimal which allows for downscaling of reagent volumes and therefore saves costs.

Two-component technology reduces thermal expansion and sample evaporation.
Reduction of evaporation leads to improved consistency of PCR results.
Well spacing and position post-PCR remain accurate so liquid handling devices can reliably add or remove the smallest quantities from the plate.
Ideal for robotics, as plate distortion is eliminated post-PCR.
FrameStar® is ideal for assay miniaturisation due to rigid skirt eliminating warping, giving better sealing properties.
Cost saving due to downscaling of reaction volumes.
Lack of warpage reduces variation of fluorescent signals in optical assays, such as qPCR.

FrameStar PCR plates are covered by one or more of the following U.S. patents or their foreign counterparts, owned by Eppendorf AG: US Patent Nos. 7,347,977 and 6,340,589

Thermal expansion of Polypropylene (PP) plates leads to evaporation from outer wells.

PP is the optimum material for PCR tubes. it provides the most efficient heat transfer, as well as an inert surface with low binding capabilities for nucleic acids, proteins and other molecules. However, the Thermal expansion of PP plates leads to evaporation from outer wells material is not thermally stable in a plate format and expands and contracts during each PCR cycle (Figure 1). Such thermal expansion will weaken the plate seal and leads to sample evaporation mainly from corner wells and outer rows.

Thermal cycler blocks do not prevent thermal expansion of PCR plates.

PCR blocks do not support PCR plates from the sides and the high temperatures from the thermal block and heated lid accelerate expansion of the plates (Figure 2).

Thermal cycler blocks do not prevent thermal expansion

FrameStar^® 2-component technology reduces thermal expansion and sample evaporation

The polycarbonate frame of FrameStar^® plates is more heat resistant than standard PP plates which reduces thermal expansion to a minimum. For this reason the seal integrity remains intact even at elevated temperatures during PCR. To illustrate this advantage of our two-component technology we have compared evaporation from one piece PP plates and FrameStar^® PCR plates: Each well of a non-skirted 96well plate (single piece, PP) and a Framestar^® non-skirted design (code 4ti-0710) was filled with 10μl H₂O. The plates were sealed with a qPCR adhesive (code 4ti-0560) and the weight of plates was measured before and after performing PCR (30 cycles x 15’’ 95°C; 15’’ 55°C). Table 1 shows that the average volume loss from one piece PP plates was 2.3μl per well which is equal to 23% of the total reaction volume. in contrast the volume loss from FrameStar plates was only 0.49μl per well using adhesive sealing.

For easier sample identification we now supply all microplate designs with a printed alphanumeric grid reference.

Plate Type	Starting Weight	Weight post PCR	Weight loss	Volume loss total/well
FrameStar^® 4ti-0710	26.678g	26.631g	0.047g	47µl/0.49µl
One Piece	17.807g	17.586g	0.221g	221µl/2.3µl

Table 1: Weight and volume loss from 96well PCR plates. Results shown are averages from 5 plates of each plate type.
One piece PP plates showed more than 4 times higher volume loss than FrameStar^®plates.

Evaporation from one piece PP plates is highest in the outer wells

Since thermal expansion and movement of wells in one piece PP plates is enhanced around the edges of the plates (see Figure 1) evaporation is the highest from the two outer rows of wells. Figure 3 illustrates the levels of sample evaporation from different areas of PP plates. only the inner 32 wells of a one piece 96well plate show low levels of evaporation but sample loss is high from the two outer rows which contain more than 65% of the wells.

2-component plates improve consistency of PCR results FrameStar^®

We have compared the degree of evaporation from different areas of one piece PP and FrameStar^® PCR plates. First, the 64 outer wells (two outer rows) of both plate types were filled with 10μl H₂O, plates were then sealed with a qPCR adhesive (code 4ti-0560) and their total weight determined before and after PCR. The experiment was repeated with a set of plates of which the inner 32 wells (green area in Figure 3) were filled. Table 2 shows that evaporation from outer wells of standard PP plates was significant and 65% higher than from inner wells. in contrast, FrameStar plates showed low levels of sample loss across the plate.

Plate Type	Starting weight (g)	Weight post PCR (g)	Weight loss (g)	Volume loss total/well (g)
FrameStar^® 4ti-0710, outer 64 wells	26.230	26.193	0.037	37µl/0.57µl
One piece, outer 64 wells	17.299	17.118	0.181	181µl/2.8µl
FrameStar^® 4ti-0710, inner 32 wells	25.841	25.824	0.017	17µl/0.53µl
One piece, inner 32 wells	17.132	17.078	0.054	54µl/1.69µl

Table 2: Weight and volume loss from different sections of 96well PCR plates. Results shown are averages from plates of each
plate type. Volume loss from the outer wells of one piece PP plates was 5-times higher than from FrameStar^® plates.

The above results show that reaction volumes remain consistent across the 96wells (or 384wells, data not shown) in FrameStar^® plates. in contrast, the reaction volumes in standard plates will differ increasingly between wells during PCR. Buffer concentrations in outer rows will increase dramatically and result in reduced enzyme activity. in extreme cases samples will fully evaporate.

FrameStar^® 2-component technology allows for reduction of assay volumes and cost

Due to the much improved seal integrity, reaction volumes can often be reduced when using FrameStar^® plates. Such downscaling of experiments can be successfully implemented without any loss of assay sensitivity or consistency (Figure 4) and reagent savings can be considerable.

Comparable Ct values

Figure 4: Comparable Ct values and mean deviations were obtained with 15μl and 25μl SyBr Green assays in
heat sealed FrameStar^® plates.

Plate Distortion Post-PCR

Distortion tests have been performed with different PCR profiles using a variety of sealing materials. The results shown were obtained using the following protocol with 5 μl reaction volumes, plates sealed with adhesive sheets (4titude^® code 4ti-0500), in a Thermo Px2 Cycler: 1min 94ºC, 30x(30sec 94ºC, 30sec 55ºC, 30sec 72ºC), 5min 72ºC, holding step at 4ºC. Averages from measurements of 10 plate samples are shown. X- and Y- axis measurements were taken in the middle sections of the plate skirt. Warpage was measured as a maximum deviation from a flat plane.

Plate Type	X-axis	Y-axis	Warpage
FrameStar^® 96, skirted	0.02mm	0.02mm	0.03mm
One piece 96well PP Plate	1.18mm	1.69mm	1.80mm
FrameStar^® 384	0.02mm	0.02mm	0.03mm
One piece 384well PP Plate	1.22mm	1.82mm	2.20mm

Table 3: Plate distortion post-PCR

Improved Sealing

In addition FrameStar^® technology provides a much improved level of seal integrity: During PCR, with heat seals or adhesive seals, the excessive thermal expansion/contraction of standard one-piece polypropylene plates, can have a damaging effect on seal quality. This is especially evident around the edge of the plate where these forces are at their maximum resulting in significant sample evaporation from the outer wells. in contrast, the higher thermal stability of FrameStar^® plates results in a reliable seal in all areas of the plate during PCR and in cold storage down to -80ºC.

Reduced Risk of Contamination

Raised rims around each tube aid the prevention of cross contamination between samples.

Plate Compatibility

FrameStar^® plates are compatible with most PCR cyclers, real-time detection systems and sequencers. The plates have been successfully tested for reliable use on most automation platforms. Contact 4titude^® for further details.

	FrameStar® 384: This 384well plate is ideal for robotic use.
	FrameStar® 480/384: This 384well plate is designed for the Roche LightCycler^® 480.
	FrameStar® 96 skirted: This 96well plate is recommended for robotics and low volume PCR.
	FrameStar® 480/96 semi-skirted: This 96well plate is designed for the Roche LightCycler^® 480.
	FrameStar® FastPlate 96: This 96well PCR plate is recommended for ABi Fast Block cyclers.
	FrameStar® 96 with upstand: This 96well PCR plate with upstand is designed to fit ABi thermal cyclers and sequencers.
	FrameStar® 96 semi-skirted (cut corner A12): This 96well semi-skirted PCR plate has an A12 cut corner to fit ABi instruments.
	FrameStar® 96 semi-skirted (cut corner H1): This 96well semi-skirted plate with cut corner H1 is designed for universal fit.
	FrameStar® 96 non-skirted: This 96well non-skirted PCR plate has a standard profile and fits most thermal cyclers.
	FrameStar® 96 non-skirted low profile: This 96well non-skirted PCR plate has a low profile design and is recommended for low volume PCR.

FrameStar® PCR Plates