SuperNOVA

The NOVOstar

BMG LabTechnologies Inc. of Durham, N.C., has developed NOVOstar^™, a compact, multi-mode microplate reader with a wealth of detection and automation options normally found only in high-end instruments. NOVOstar has an integrated, programmable pipetting system that enables aspiration, dispersing, and mixing of fluids within a microplate well. Three reagent stations can be accessed for maximal flexibility in assay design (e.g., to combine substrates, inhibitors, and antagonists), and an additional transfer pipette supports plate-to-plate transfers. The instrument also features a microplate carrier that accommodates one reagent plate and one assay/measurement plate, allowing the system to screen up to 384 analytes in one test. This combination of robotic components makes NOVOstar a platform capable of carrying out kinetic assays or constructing dose-response curves.

The NOVOstar uses most of the reading modes employed in cell-based assay development: fluorescence intensity, time-resolved fluorescence,¹ luminescence (both flash and glow),² and...