A heat sealing product suitable for seating one or more individual containers, said heat sealing product comprising: (i) a plurality of individual heat seals set out in a configuration substantially corresponding to the shape and configuration of the container(s) to be sealed, the size and shape of the individual heat seals corresponding substantially to the size and shape of the tops of the individual container(s) to be sealed; (ii) a peelable support film layer coated on one side with a low tack adhesive, the low tack adhesive serving to hold the individual heat seals in place on the support film layer in the desired configuration prior to the sealing process; (iii) alignment points in the sealing product adapted to enable the heat sealing product and therefore the individual heat seals of the heat sealing product to be aligned substantially exactly with respect to the individual containers to be sealed.

The present invention relates to a method for subjecting a plurality of microwells containing cells to a high-content assay, said method comprising: a) Acquiring at least one image of said plurality of microwells; b) In said image, detecting a plurality of areas of interest, each area of interest corresponding to a single cell; c) Measuring at least one derived property, and, optionally, at least one direct property of said areas of interest, where said one or more properties is a selection property; d) Selecting a subset of said plurality of microwells, where said microwells belonging to the subset contain areas of interest selected based on said at least one selection property; e) Extrapolating an output parameter from a property measured in the set of areas of interest selected, where said property is defined as output property, said output property being distinct from said selection properties where said output parameter is the processing of an output property measured in said set of areas of interest. In a further aspect, there are claimed a system for subjecting a plurality of microwells containing cells to a high-content assay and a computer program which comprises instructions for subjecting a plurality of microwells containing cells to a high-content assay.

A system for assaying forces applied by cells includes an optically transparent substrate comprising a soft material having a Young's modulus within the range of about 3 kPa to about 100 kPa. An array of molecular patterns is disposed on a surface of the optically transparent substrate, the molecular patterns include fluorophore-conjugated patterns adherent to cells. The system includes at least one light source configured to excite the fluorophore-conjugated patterns and an imaging device configured to capture fluorescent light emitted from the fluorophore-conjugated patterns. Dimensional changes in the size of the patterns are used to determine contractile forces imparted by cells located on the patterns.

The invention relates to a method and a device for optically exciting a plurality of analytes (12) in an array of reaction vessels (14) and for sensing fluorescent light from the analytes (12), wherein excitation light from an excitation light source (38) is supplied to the analytes (12) and wherein fluorescent light from the analytes (12) is simultaneously supplied to a fluorescent detector (34), wherein a plurality of beams (30) of the excitation light is directed into the reaction vessels (14) below the cover (28) through an array of holes (26) in a cover (28) arranged above the array of reaction vessels (14) and a plurality of beams (32) of the fluorescent light from the reaction vessels (14) reaches the fluorescent detector (34). According to the invention it is suggested that the main beams (76) of the plurality of beams (30) of the excitation light diverge within and below the holes (26) into the reaction vessels (14) and/or that the main beams (78) of the plurality of beams (32) of the fluorescent light converge within and above the holes (26) toward the fluorescent detector (34).

Multiwell devices and methods of filtration using the multiwell devices are disclosed.

An apparatus, vortex generator assembly and method for automated cell lysis and nucleic acid purification and processing. The vortex generator assembly includes sample holder having a lysis well, at least one wash well, and an elution well. The vortex generator assembly also includes a sample holder cover having a plurality of vibration rods for creating a vortex in the wells of the sample holder. The apparatus includes motor operating a rotating cam to cause the vibration rods to vibrate and create the vortex in a well holding fluid and magnetic beads, wherein the vortexing speed is sufficient to overcome the magnetic attraction between the beads and disperse the beads in solution, to collect nucleic acids such as DNA.

Methods and systems are provided for a sample holder for a multi-detector quantitative microscopy system. In one example, the sample holder includes a frame with a central opening, a pivotable arm positioned adjacent to the central opening and having a whippletree assembly at a first end of the pivotable arm, and a movable ram, in contact with a second end of the pivotable arm, the movable ram configured to pivot the pivotable arm.

A device for aggregating cells includes a cavity. The cavity includes a plurality of microwells for receiving at least one cell. Each of the microwells includes a vertical sidewall and a curved bottom. The microwells are made in a hydrogel layer. Each of said microwells has a diameter and an interwell distance between one microwell and another microwell, wherein a ratio for the interwell distance to the diameter is less than or equal to 1/10.

A method of producing a reaction unit includes (a1) preparing a first substrate which is a substrate having a first surface and a second surface and of which at least the first surface is composed of polypropylene, and which has one or more through-holes that penetrate from the first surface to the second surface, and a second substrate which is a substrate having a first surface and a second surface and of which at least the first surface is composed of at least one selected from the group consisting of cycloolefin polymers and cycloolefin copolymers, and which has a track region in which concave parts and convex parts are alternately formed on the first surface; (b1) applying a photocurable composition around an opening of the through-hole on the first surface of the first substrate; (c1) emitting light to the photocurable composition applied around the opening of the through-hole to form a cured resin layer in which the photocurable composition is cured; and (d1) forming a well having the track region as a bottom surface and the through-hole as a side surface, which is a well formed by bringing the cured resin layer formed on the first surface of the first substrate into close contact with the first surface of the second substrate after the process (c1).

A cell culture vessel (100) has walls and a substrate having a plurality of microcavities (120), where each microcavity of the plurality of microcavities includes a concave well and an opening to allow the microcavity to be filled with liquid. A flange (170) surrounds the substrate having an array of microcavities. A channel (175, 176) surrounds the flange, providing a moat around the microcavity substrate. The flange is angled. Methods of culturing cells in the cell culture vessel are also provided.