New Pall Multi-Well Filter Plate Speeds Sample Processing For Drug Discovery

03-21-2003: Innovative tools that debottleneck drug discovery are critical in the race for new medical therapies. As sample sizes get smaller and more numerous, the effectiveness of the screening process can either facilitate the discovery of a life-saving drug or contribute to its failure. A new sample preparation tool from Pall Corporation (NYSE: PLL) enables laboratories to process hundreds of samples simultaneously speeding the way toward new medical therapies. The AcroPrep(TM) 384 multi-well filter plate optimizes the identification of novel leads and targets for drug development. The enabling technology is used in countless DNA and protein sample preparation and detection processes. The AcroPrep 384 multi-well filter plate helps scientists quickly and reliably sift through thousands of drug targets in the search for those with promise. Using a patented technology, the AcroPrep 384 multi-well filter plate eliminates lateral cross contamination, or "crosstalk", that can slow down the screening process. Crosstalk occurs when the signal from one well inadvertently enters adjacent wells. The new Pall plate eliminates this confounding problem by individually sealing each well so signals cannot travel from one to the other. By eliminating crosstalk, laboratories can reliably process 384 samples in minutes, increase output and identify promising drug targets to treat diseases.

"New sample preparation technologies that deliver pure, undamaged DNA and protein are critical to advance drug discovery, genomics and proteomics," said Ken Harris, President of Pall BioSciences. "The AcroPrep 384 multi-well filter plate enables scientists to quickly purify experimental samples in their quest to explore how proteins and nucleic acids might influence or treat certain disease states."

The AcroPrep 384 multi-well filter plate's rigid one-piece construction is ideal for high-volume robotic applications. The design assures that the filter plates do not flex and jam in liquid handling robots.

The unique "square to round" well design of the AcroPrep 384 multi-well filter plate reduces sample hold-up. When molecular biologists work with extremely small sample volumes, they can become "trapped" in the corners of square-bottomed wells. Trapped samples often prevent users from automating their process.

The move to higher throughput, lower volume formats necessary to speed the rate of drug discovery led Pall to develop a broad new line of multi-well filter plates. Pall's multi-well filter plates are available in 96 and 384 well formats and are offered with multiple membrane options and well volumes to meet various application needs.