Compact Disc Arrayer

V&P Scientific is proud to introduce the very first arrayer for Compact Discs.  Now you can make microarrays of DNA or protein on CD's for under $4,000.00.  This simple system comes complete with wash and indexing accessories. This flexible system allows you to tackle both large and small jobs without major setup hassles. Now you can have:

Convenience
Print your own microarrays anytime from 96 or 384 well plates

Versatility
Can spot your samples as duplicates, triplicates or more

Enhanced Features
Print up to 384 spots per array and 8 arrays/CD (3072 spots/CD)

Spot Size
~500 microns in diameter on standard CDs

Spot Pitch
1,125 microns on horizontal axis and 1,125 microns on the vertical axis, can change pitch easily for different spot sizes by skipping rows or columns

Accessories Available
Indexing System for 96 and 384 well source plates to simplify arraying and enhance spot size reproducibility. Replicator pin wash station to enhance arraying speed.

We recently received patents on both the CD Arrayer and the Glass Slide Arrayer   (US Patents #6,692,701 and #6,613,284).

Our Floating Pin Replicator can be fixtured with either 2 rows of 3 pins (6 total) on 9 mm centers for 96 well microplates (VP 478CD) or 4 rows of 6 pins (24 total) on 4.5 mm centers for 384 well microplates (VP 478ACD). When used in conjunction with the unique V&P Scientific Compact Disc Indexing System VP 490 (US Patent #6,692,701) this arraying system places 384 spots ~500 microns in diameter, onto a grid 18 mm wide and 27mm tall.  Eight of these grids or footprints will fit on a CD.

The Gold CD's at the right are courtesy of Dr. Horacio Kido of Burstein Technologies.

The pitch or center to center spacing between the spots is 1,125 microns on the Y axis and 1,125 microns in the X axis. This array will accommodate four, 96 well microplates or one, 384 well microplate. However, you can use as few spots as your library requires or as spot size dictates. We have found that our unique replicator pins carry ~ 6 nl and leave a ~3 nl drop on the CD which produces a 500 micron diameter spot. This spot size allows a 16 by 24 array or 384 spots/array.

Click here for a list of published articles that cite using the products on this page.

  Microplate Indexing System

Our new 96 (VP 472CD) and 384 (VP 472ACD) well Microplate Indexing Systems for 6 (VP 478CD) and 24 (VP 478ACD) Pin Replicators have moveable registration platforms that allow you to access both 96 and 384 well microplates in 16 sectors (4 rows and 4columns) this registration ability offers several advantages:

1. Eliminate the possibility of getting specimens from the wrong wells.
    

2. Keeps the pins in the center of the well so the size of the spots remain uniform. This is very important especially in 384 well microplates.
    

3. Keeps track of which set of wells you are spotting from and where the next group of wells will be.
    

4. Accelerates the rate of the arraying process.
    

5. Prevents the pins from being damaged on the bottom and sides of the wells.

  384 Well Microplate Indexing System

Because of the unique way the pins are positioned in the two CD Replicators, 6 pin (VP 478CD - 9 mm pitch, 96 well) and 24 pin (VP 478ACD - 4.5 mm pitch, 384 well), they each have to be used with their specific Microplate Indexing System.

The VP 472ACD Microplate Indexing System aligns the 24 Pin Replicator (VP 478ACD) to appropriate wells in a 384 well microplate. This provides a very simple method of placing the replicator pins into the center of the wells by using a 4 set series of guide pins on the top of the Indexing system and the pair of alignment holes in the bottom of the Replicator. This registration system also prevents the pins from being damaged at the bottom of the wells. 
 

The VP 472ACD Microplate Indexer will accommodate all 384 well microplates that conform to the Society of Biomolecular Screening Standards. Many of the 384 well polypropylene PCR plates are smaller (length and width) than the SBS Standard and need to be shimmed for the correct registration. We show you a simple but effective way to do this.
 

  96 Well Microplate Indexing System

The VP 472CD Microplate Indexing System aligns the 6 Pin Replicator (VP 478CD) to appropriate wells in a 96 well microplate. This provides a very simple method of placing the replicator pins into the center of the wells by using a 4 set series of guide pins on the top of the Indexing System and the pair of alignment holes in the bottom of the Replicator. This registration system also is adjustable so you can remove your specimen from the very bottom of your microplate or PCR plate well, i.e. you can harvest from very small volumes even the dregs of the well.

The VP 472CD Microplate Indexer will accommodate all Standard height 96 well microplates that conform to the Society of Biomolecular Screening Standards. Many of the 96 well polypropylene PCR plates are smaller (length and width) than the SBS Standard and need to be shimmed for the correct registration. We show you how to do this.

  Glass Slide Replicator Wash And Blot Station

The VP 475 Glass Slide Replicator Wash and Blot Station is used to facilitate and speed the washing of the replicator pins between specimens. Any fluids can be used in the polypropylene reservoirs however for most nucleic acid applications the first wash reservoir usually contains 5% bleach, the second reservoir contains distilled water, the third reservoir contains distilled water and the fourth reservoir contains 99% isopropanol. The isopropanol is evaporated off using the new V&P Pin Drier (VP 474) or a hot air blower (hair dryer). Each reservoir has its own blotting station and the pins are blotted prior to submerging in the next reservoir.  Also the depth of fluid in each reservoir is slightly greater as you progress from left to right so that wash solution goes farther up the pin shaft each time to insure a through washing operation. Guide pins on both the wash and blot stations ensure that the pins are properly aligned and protected from damage.

The blotting surface is a 5 cm wide and 31 cm long strip of lint free blotting paper (VP 522A) placed under the blotting jig. The VP 522A is placed over the foamed rubber pad in the blotting station and can be used numerous times before it has to be replaced.

We strongly recommend that you use a lint free blotting paper such as VP 522A to clean the replicator pins between spotting operations. The presence of lint on the pins will affect the spot size on the CD. We also recommend that you use the     VP 110 Pin Cleaning Solution to periodically clean the Replicator pins.

Click here for a list of published articles that cite using the products on this page.