SpectraMax ABS and ABS Plus Absorbance ELISA Microplate Readers
Fast and compact absorbance microplate readers for a wide range of assays without the use of filters
Fast and compact absorbance microplate readers for a wide range of assays without the use of filters
The SpectraMax® ABS and ABS Plus absorbance microplate readers provide the flexibility, sensitivity, and convenience for a wide range of assays such as ELISAs, microbial growth, and protein quantitation. Both readers feature an 8-channel read head for fast reads and a subset feature, the temperature independent PathCheck sensor that automatically normalizes and ensures accurate absorbance values by detecting pipetting errors. Combined with a wide application base, industry-leading SoftMax® Pro Software and validation tools, these readers fit in every lab and every budget.
This reader utilizes Molecular Devices' temperature independent PathCheck Sensor technology to measure the depth (optical pathlength) of samples in a microplate. It also allows for the elimination of standard curves.
The reader’s unique quartz fiber optic system minimizes stray light for precise readings across a microplate. The spectral resolution ensures accuracy of DNA absorbance measurements.
The optical design of the reader enables simultaneous detection of 8 wells. The eight-channel system delivers both precision and speed across the microplate.
The reader delivers high performance with round-bottom, flat-bottom or half-area well plates. Dual wavelength readings report the actual absorbance at each wavelength making data analysis convenient.
SpectraMax® Absorbance Microplate Readers can run both cuvette-based and microplate reader applications on the same instrument. Read one sample or up to 384 in a single plate read using any standard cuvette, or 96- or 384-well microplate.
Verify the accuracy of your absorbance measurements with the SpectraTest® ABS1 Absorbance Validation Plate, using NIST-traceable standards. Testing can be done in your own lab, on your own schedule.
Our comprehensive suite of proven compliance solutions for GMP/GLP labs can advance your efforts to quickly and confidently establish a compliant laboratory.
Learn all about absorbance detection – how it works, how it’s measured, and how it can be used to calculate concentration. We also provide information on common absorbance applications and assays including ELISAs, nucleic acid and protein quantitation, and microbial growth.
Cell viability refers to the number of healthy cells in a population and can be evaluated using assays that measure enzyme activity, cell membrane integrity, ATP production, and other indicators. These methods can employ luminescent, fluorescent, or colorimetric readouts as indicators of general cell viability or even specific cellular pathways. Cytotoxicity and cell viability assays are often used to assess a drug or other treatment’s effect, and are valuable tools in the search for new therapeutics, as well as advancing our understanding of how normal cells function.
Colorimetric assays using tetrazolium salts like MTT, XTT, and MTS can be used to measure cell proliferation and cytotoxicity. For example, the MTT assay depends on the reduction of MTT by enzymes present in viable cells to form a blue formazan product that can be quantified by measuring the absorbance. The choice of assay may be based on the desired workflow and time required.
Read the application note to learn about some of these methods:
The absorbance of a DNA sample measured at 260 nm on a spectrophotometer or microplate reader can be used to calculate its concentration. Absorbance quantitation of DNA works on samples ranging from about 0.25 µg/mL to about 125 µg/mL in a microplate format.
Learn how absorbance is measured on our absorbance microplate readers with our featured app notes:
The drug discovery landscape is shifting, with more scientists centering cell line development, disease models, and high-throughput screening methods around physiologically-relevant 3D cell models. The reason for this is clear: Using cellular model systems in research that closely mimic patient disease states or human organs can bring life-saving therapeutics to market – faster.
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) are used to measure the amount of a specific protein, using a microplate format, and results are most often detected via absorbance in the visible wavelength range. Chemiluminescent and fluorescent ELISA formats offer enhanced sensitivity for accurate quantitation of less abundant analytes.
Monitoring for contaminants is a critical step during the production process in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. A frequent contaminant, endotoxin, can cause fever, inflammation, headache, nausea, and even death. Fortunately, endotoxins can be readily monitored using turbidimetric, colorimetric, or fluorometric assays.
These application notes describe the different types of endotoxin assays:
Many biological experiments require monitoring bacterial growth or measuring enzymatic changes over long periods of time (hours, days or even weeks).
Here are a few featured application notes illustrating how to set up kinetic assays to measure bacterial growth using our instruments and software:
Quantitation of many sample types is accomplished through absorbance measurements in a cuvette or microplate. However, when material is scarce or samples are precious, quantitation of very low sample volumes is required. Instruments and accessories are available that enable quantitation in volumes as low as 2 µL, or even 0.5 µL.
Learn more about our micro-volume instruments and techniques:
Microbes, including bacteria, have been estimated to make up about 15 percent of the earth’s biomass, and microbes in the human body outnumber human cells by 10 to 1. These microorganisms provide great benefit to us and are also vital to many fields of research from medicine to alternative energy production. On the other hand, monitoring for microbes and the toxic substances they produce is necessary to ensure the safety of pharmaceutical products. Scientists whose research relies on mammalian cells must carefully monitor these cultures for unwanted microbial contaminants to ensure that their experimental results are reliable.
Nucleic acids are large biomolecules common to all known life forms. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) consists of a double strand of pairs of nucleotides, while ribonucleic acid (RNA) is typically a single strand. In DNA, the nucleotides are adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine, while RNA contains uracil instead of thymine. DNA makes up the genetic material of all organisms, encoding the information cells need to synthesize proteins.
UV/VIS spectrophotometers and microplate readers differ fundamentally in their beam geometry. In spectrophotometers, samples are read through cuvettes or tubes with a horizontal, 1-cm light path, making assays based on extinction coefficients straightforward. In microplate readers, the vertical light beam results in a pathlength that depends on the volume of fluid in each well. This problem has been remedied with Molecular Devices PathCheck Technology, which automatically corrects optical density (OD) measurements to a 1-cm pathlength.
These application notes discuss the principles and uses of PathCheck Technology:
Protein detection, quantitation, and analysis are central to the investigation of a wide variety of biological processes. Measuring the concentration of protein is necessary to processes ranging from protein purification and labeling to sample preparation for electrophoresis. Protein can be quantitated directly via absorbance at 280 nm, or indirectly using colorimetric (BCA, Bradford, etc.) or fluorometric methods offering advantages such as greater sensitivity. To identify and measure a specific protein within a complex sample, for example, serum or cell lysate, an ELISA may be used.
Protein concentration can be measured directly, via absorbance at 280 nm in a UV spectrophotometer, or indirectly, using colorimetric methods such as BCA or Bradford assays.
Here are a few application notes on protein quantitation you may find of interest:
*Using lowest settings and speed read when available.
**Only available on SpectraMax ABS Plus.
Blog
Since its discovery nearly 50 years ago, the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) has become the gold standard in diagnostics and drug evaluation studies. Using an ELISA, one can…
Publications
According to Biocompare, “one of the most overlooked pieces of equipment in any lab is the microplate reader. While they play an important role in generating data from a wide range o…
Publications
The pharmaceutical world is a highly regulated environment. And for good reason. As a potential drug moves through the development process – from the in vitro discovery phase, to pre…
Blog
As your lab’s needs expand, automating every step of an intricate workflow provides exponential value. From increased walk-away time and throughput to reduced human error and improved…
eBook
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Technical Guide
This technical note is designed to provide information on the similarities in performance between four singlemode absorbance plate readers: SpectraMax® ABS, SpectraMax® ABS Plus, Spe…
Blog
Global research efforts are focused on understanding the SARS-CoV-2 virus in order to develop potential therapies for COVID-19. Join us as we explore a scientific timeline of key…
eBook
Evaluating microplate readers doesn’t have to be overwhelming. First, consider your application needs. If your budget is modest, a single-mode reader dedicated to your main applicati…
Application Note
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Blog
The regulations for food and drug in the United States, described in the Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations, and the EudraLex Annex 11 in EU, are critical in ensuring safe…
Blog
For over 40 years, Molecular Devices has been at the forefront of technological advances which have contributed to significant scientific breakthroughs. To kick off the new year, we…
Blog
Over the past three decades, ELISA or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, has become vital to many areas of research and has shown to have many applications—from detecting food and…
Infographic
ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) is a method used to quantitatively detect an antigen within a sample. An antigen is a toxin or other foreign substance, for example a flu vi…
Application Note
Monitoring for contaminants is a critical step during the production process in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries.
Application Note
As cannabis is legalized in more states across the US, state agencies are setting their own regulations and requirements for growers, retailers, and testing laboratories. For example,…
Application Note
Microplates used for absorbance measurements are commonly made of polystyrene, cyclic olefin copolymer (COC), or quartz.
eBook
Absorbance microplate readers are widely used in research, drug discovery, bioassay validation, quality control, and manufacturing processes in the pharmaceutical, biotech, food and…
eBook
Absorbance microplate readers are widely used in basic research, drug discovery, bioassay validation, quality control, and manufacturing processes in pharmaceutical, biotech, food an…
Application Note
With the recent rise in the prevalence of celiac disease, monitoring gluten levels in food and beverage has become increasingly important as more people strive to avoid gluten.
Application Note
Learn how absorbance microplate reader provides a colorimetric readouts for cell viability or proliferation.
Application Note
Quantification of protein concentrations from cell lysates is a key step for many downstream applications, such as western blots and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs).
Flyer
Learn more about the features and benefits of the SpectraMax ABS Absorbance Microplate Reader, including a table of compatible applications.
Application Note
Learn how to run the Human IL-8 SimpleStep ELISA on the SpectraMax® ABS Plus Microplate Reader using a convenient preconfigured protocol.
Data Sheet
The SpectraMax® ABS Microplate Reader bridges the gap between the affordability of filter-based readers and the flexibility of monochromator-based systems.The SpectraMax® ABS Plus Mi…
Application Note
Nucleic acid and protein quantitation are essential measurements upstream of many sophisticated assays in genetics and molecular biology. Various methods have been developed to…
Application Note
Ultraviolet (UV) measurements in microplates became possible when Molecular Devices introduced the first UV-capable microplate reader. Since then, microplate measurements of DNA, RNA,…
Customer Breakthrough
OligoMaker ApS, based in Copenhagen, Denmark, is a manufacturer of DNA/RNA-synthesizers. The company was founded in 1996 by Karl Ross-Petersen, Ph.D. as a technology R&D division…
Customer Breakthrough
Wafi’s main research topic aims to set up a pharmacodynamic model comparing antibiotic activities against biofilms and examine in parallel their effects on viability and biofilm mass…
Application Note
The organic base melamine is used to make a number of products, including plastics, flame retardants, pigments, and fertilizers. The practice of adding melamine to animal feed and…
Data Sheet
Microplate readers from Molecular Devices are designed to provide consistent performance for many years. In keeping with best practices, reader performance should still be validated…
Application Note
UV/VIS spectrophotometers and microplate readers differ fundamentally in their beam geometry. In spectrophotometers, samples are read through cuvettes or tubes with a horizontal (cross…
Application Note
Monitoring for contaminants is a critical step during the production process in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. A frequent contaminant, endotoxin, can cause fever,…
Application Note
Protein concentration is commonly estimated by measuring the absorbance at 280
Application Note
Measurement of tannin, iron-reactive phenolics, anthocyanin and polymeric pigment in red wine is an important part of quality control in the wine industry. Precise and reliable…
Application Note
The fundamental difference between absorbance measured in a microplate compared to a cuvette is the optical beam configuration. In a cuvette, the optical beam is horizontal and the…
Application Note
The organic base melamine is used to make a number of products, including plastics, flame retardants, pigments, and fertilizers. The practice of adding melamine to animal feed and…
Application Note
Analysis of malic acid, residual sugar, volatile acidity and ammonia is very important in quality control during wine production. Enzymatic assays carried out in microplate format are…
Application Note
Analysis of malic acid, residual sugar, volatile acidity and ammonia is very important for quality control during wine production. Enzymatic assays carried out in microplate format are…
Application Note
The organic base melamine is used to make a number of products, including plastics, flame retardants, pigments, and fertilizers. The practice of adding melamine to animal feed and…
Data Sheet
Learn how SpectraDrop Micro-Volume Microplate can be used to quantitate low volumes of DNA, RNA, and protein when combined with Molecular Devices' absorbance microplate readers.
Data Sheet
Learn how Molecular Devices’ VersaMax Microplate Reader provides an affordable, tunable filter-based microplate reader for monochromator-based systems.
Data Sheet
Learn more about the SpectraMax Plus 384 microplate reader and how it can be used to test a breadth of applications with full spectral range.
Data Sheet
Discover how the SpectraMax® 340PC384 Reader can be used in various absorbance-based applications by being able to accurately measure absorbance in the visible range.
Data Sheet
Learn how the SpectraMax 190 Microplate Reader, a high-performance UV-Vis spectrophotometer can be used for various life science applications.
Brochure
Molecular Devices is a leading provider of high-performance bioanalytical measurement solutions for life science research, pharmaceutical development, and biotherapeutic discovery. O…
Microplate analysis technologies for food and beverage quality testing
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Urban myths of microplate readers: OD, RFU or RLU - What exactly are they and why bigger is not always better!
Urban myths of microplate readers: Which microplate reader? Decisions, decisions and how to be less confused!
How to configure an ELISA endpoint protocol
SpectraMax ABS and ABS Plus Absorbance Microplate Readers
SpectraMax ABS Plus Feature Demonstration
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Caffeine is a stimulant naturally found in coffee beans and is consumed daily by millions of people. Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) is a gram-negative opportunistic microbe known to be the main cause for pneumonia in cystic fibrosis and is observed in many hospital-acquired infections.
Feeding dairy cows large proportions of cereal grain is commonly associated with rumen acidosis, activation of innate immunity, and perturbation of intermediary metabolism. We previously showed that steeping barley grain in 0.5% lactic acid (LA) decreased the rate of starch degradation, lowered the risk of subacute rumen acidosis, modulated rumen fermentation profile, and increased milk fat content in dairy cows. This study sought to investigate whether feeding of LA-treated barley grain would affect carbohydrate and lipid metabolism as well as innate immunity. Eight rumen-fistulated late-lactation (approximately 217 d in milk, DIM) Holstein cows were randomly assigned, in a 2 × 2 crossover design, to 1 of the 2 dietary treatments consisting of 27% (dry matter basis) rolled barley grain steeped for 48 h in an equal volume (wt/vol) of tap water (CTR) or 0.5% LA (TRT). Each experimental period lasted 21 d, with the first 11 d for diet adaptation. Blood and rumen samples were collected on d 12, 15, 17, and 21 of the experimental period before the morning feeding to evaluate the effects of dietary treatment on preprandial day-to-day variation of plasma and rumen variables. To establish the effect of treatment on diurnal variation of plasma variables, blood samples were collected on the last day of each period at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 h after the morning feeding (i.e., 0800 h). Results of the day-to-day study showed that cows fed the TRT diet had greater overall preprandial concentrations of glucose, cholesterol, and insulin, and a lower concentration of haptoglobin in plasma. Diurnal data indicated lower concentrations of haptoglobin and serum amyloid A and a tendency for greater plasma lactate in cows fed the TRT diet. A treatment by time interaction was observed for glucose, lactate, insulin, haptoglobin, and lipopolysaccharide-binding protein, suggesting a role for both the processing of grain and the time of sampling on those variables. No effect of diet on plasma concentrations of cortisol, β-hydroxybutyrate, and nonesterified fatty acids or rumen endotoxin was evidenced. Taken together, our results demonstrated that feeding barley grain steeped in 0.5% LA modulated both energy status and innate immunity of dairy cows fed relatively high levels (45% of dry matter) of dietary concentrate.
The objective of this study was to evaluate effects of feeding increasing proportions of barley grain on acute phase response in lactating dairy cows. Eight cannulated primiparous (60 to 140 d in milk) Holstein dairy cows were assigned to 4 diets in a 4 × 4 Latin square experimental design. The experimental period lasted for 21 d, with 11 d of adaptation and 10 d of measurements. Cows were fed the following diets: 1) no barley grain in the diet, 2) 15% barley grain, 3) 30% barley grain, and 4) 45% barley grain, as well as barley and alfalfa silage and alfalfa hay at 85, 70, 55, and 40% [dry matter (DM) basis]. All cows were supplemented with a 15% concentrate mix. Blood and rumen fluid samples were collected on d 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10 of the measurement period, and pH and endotoxin content were measured in rumen samples. Concentrations of serum amyloid A, lipopolysaccharide-binding protein, haptoglobin, and C-reactive protein in plasma were measured by ELISA. Feeding high proportions of barley grain at 0, 15, 30, and 45% of DM was associated with lower feed intake (32.6, 32.9, 27.34, and 25.18 kg/d ± 1.30, respectively), lower ruminal pH (6.8, 6.7, 6.7, and 6.5 ± 0.03, respectively), and higher DM intake (13.33, 15.28, 14.68, and 16.04 ± 0.63 kg/d, respectively) and milk production (27.2, 28.2, 29.0, and 31.0 ± 1.2 kg/d, respectively). Ruminal endotoxin increased in cows receiving 30 and 45% barley grain (5,021, and 8,870 ± 393 ng/mL, respectively) compared with those fed no grain or 15% barley grain (654 and 790 ± 393 ng/mL, respectively). Plasma concentrations of serum amyloid A, lipopolysaccharide-binding protein, and C-reactive protein increased in cows given higher (30 and 45%) proportions of grain. Plasma haptoglobin was not affected by treatments. In conclusion, feeding dairy cows high proportions (30 and 45% DM basis) of barley grain was associated with lower feed intake and rumen pH, increased endotoxin in the rumen fluid, and stimulation of an inflammatory response.
SpectraMax® ABS Plus Microplate Reader
| Product | Part Number |
| SpectraMax ABS Plus Microplate Reader with SoftMax Pro Software | ABS PLUS |
| SpectraTest ABS2 Absorbance Validation Plate | 0200-6191 |
| StakMax Microplate Handling Stacker | StakMax |
| SpectraDrop™ Micro-Volume Microplate Starter Kit | 0200-6262 |
| SpectraDrop™ Micro-Volume Microplate HTS Kit | 0200-6267 |
| Cuvette Validation Set | 0200-2420 |
SpectraMax® ABS Microplate Reader
| Product | Part Number |
| SpectraMax ABS Microplate Reader with SoftMax Pro Software | ABS |
| SpectraTest ABS2 Absorbance Validation Plate | 0200-6191 |
| StakMax Microplate Handling Stacker | StakMax |
| SpectraDrop™ Micro-Volume Microplate Starter Kit | 0200-6262 |
SpectraMax® 340PC384 Microplate Reader
| Product | Part Number |
| 340PC384 Microplate Reader | 340PC 384 |
| SpectraTest ABS1 Absorbance Validation Plate | 0200-6117 |
| StakMax Microplate Handling Stacker | StakMax |
| Microplate Reader Shelf | 9000-0756 |
SpectraMax® Plus 384 Microplate Reader
| Product | Part Number |
| SpectraMax Plus 384 Microplate Reader | PLUS 384 |
| SpectraTest ABS1 Absorbance Validation Plate | 0200-6117 |
| StakMax Microplate Handling Stacker | StakMax |
| SpectraDrop™ Micro-Volume Microplate Starter Kit | 0200-6262 |
| SpectraDrop™ Micro-Volume Microplate HTS Kit | 0200-6267 |
| Cuvette Validation Set | 0200-2420 |
| Microplate Reader Shelf | 9000-0756 |
SpectraMax® 190 Microplate Reader
| Product | Product Number |
| SpectraMax 190 Microplate Reader with SoftMax Pro Software | 190 |
| SpectraTest ABS1 Absorbance Validation Plate | 0200-6117 |
| SpectraDrop™ Micro-Volume Microplate Starter Kit | 0200-6262 |
| SpectraDrop™ Micro-Volume Microplate HTS Kit | 0200-6267 |
| StakMax Microplate Handling Stacker | StakMax |
| Microplate Reader Shelf | 9000-0756 |
VersaMax™ ELISA Microplate Reader
| Product | Part Number |
| VersaMax ELISA Microplate Reader | VERSAMAX |
| SpectraTest ABS1 Absorbance Validation Plate | 0200-6117 |
| StakMax Microplate Handling Stacker | StakMax |
| Microplate Reader Shelf | 9000-0756 |
Learn all about absorbance detection – how it works, how it’s measured, and how it can be used to…
Cell viability refers to the number of healthy cells in a population and can be evaluated using…
Colorimetric assays using tetrazolium salts like MTT, XTT, and MTS can be used to measure cell…
The absorbance of a DNA sample measured at 260 nm on a spectrophotometer or microplate reader can…
The drug discovery landscape is shifting, with more scientists centering cell line development,…
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) are used to measure the amount of a specific protein,…
Monitoring for contaminants is a critical step during the production process in the pharmaceutical…
Many biological experiments require monitoring bacterial growth or measuring enzymatic changes over…
Quantitation of many sample types is accomplished through absorbance measurements in a cuvette or…
Microbes, including bacteria, have been estimated to make up about 15 percent of the earth’s…
Nucleic acids are large biomolecules common to all known life forms. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)…
UV/VIS spectrophotometers and microplate readers differ fundamentally in their beam geometry. In…
Protein detection, quantitation, and analysis are central to the investigation of a wide variety of…
Protein concentration can be measured directly, via absorbance at 280 nm in a UV spectrophotometer…
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