05 July 2005
Quality Assurance Testing with Fluorescent Dye
The Quansys Array is printed on a 96-well plate. Stringent quality assurance measures are applied before each plate is approved for use. We have applied multiple steps to quality assure each plate.
First, a visual inspection of the plate, second a fluorescein image, and finally a complete assay is run on one plate from each lot and compared to our thorough criterion.
The first step of quality assurance is a visual inspection of a plate. After the plates are printed in a Class 1000 clean room, each plate is visually inspected for any obvious defects which could include spot deformation, dust, or other particles. All plates that do not pass the visual inspection are discarded at this time.
The second step is capturing an fluorescent image. Fluorescent dye is mixed with the antibodies before it is printed on the plate. This dye has no adverse effects to the antibody or function of the array. This patent-pending technology allows us to ensure proper spot deposition. The image is captured with a CCD gel doc camera system using an UV light and appropriate lenses. The image is examined for spot deformities, extra spots, and airborne contaminants. All plates that do not pass this step are discarded.
Figure 1 shows the fluorescent dye image from a plate that passed QA. All the spots are of relative size and brightness, there are no blurred spots or particulates on the plate. Figure 2 shows a fluorescent dye image that did not pass QA testing. There are a number of artifacts on the plate due to airborne dust or fibers and a few deformed spots.
Quansys Biosciences is committed to providing high quality research products. We have implemented our patent-pending quality assurance technology along with our ISO 9001/2000 registration to ensure each array kit is of the highest quality. To view the fluorescent dye image for your specific plate, go to the QA plate image database. Each plate has a bar code on the side of it; simply type in this code and click ‘Get Image.’
