Now microwell plates can establish different physical conditions, as well as chemical.

Microwell plates are kind of like miniature petri dishes.  Each microwell can be treated with different nutrients, drugs, or other chemical components.  The microplate is then imaged directly under a semi-automated microscope and differences in proliferation under the full range of environments can be evaluated.  Researchers at Wayne State University took it a step further, developing a microplate where LED lights regulate light exposure on a well-by-well basis in a 96-well plate.  The microplate assembly can be put right in a laboratory incubator so growth is not interrupted.

Their paper can be read at www.ece.eng.wayne.edu.

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