DALLAS, Oct. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- MM plate trends 2013 survey questionnaire was compiled to address needs and potential interests of microplate reader vendor community. Objectives of this global benchmarking study were to comprehensively document current end user experiences, opinions, practices and preferences for multi-mode microplate readers, and likely future requirements for such products. A focus of this report was on what influences future purchasing decisions and use of new/emerging read modes/application areas. Please note this report is focused exclusively on MM plate readers. It does NOT include or report on single mode plate readers (e.g. absorbance or fluorescence only readers or specialty micro-volume readers), or MM plate imagers (e.g. PerkinElmer ViewLux, Molecular Devices FLIPR or Hamamatsu FDSS).

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The survey Multi-Mode Microplate Trends 2013 looked at following aspects of multi-mode (MM) plate readers as practiced today (2013) and in a few cases as predicted for the future (2016): vendor's MM plate readers present in respondents lab; vendor's MM plate readers respondents make greatest use of; number of MM plate readers in respondent's lab and average functional lifetime of readers; application areas where MM plate readers are most used; influence of brand on purchasing selection; preferred brand and duration of brand loyalty; what influences the decision to switch brand; maximum price-point for a fully specified MM plate reader; relative use of different MM plate reader detection modalities; current level of interest/use in label-free detection on a MM plate reader; whether existing label-free options on a MM plate reader have met expectations; opinion on addition of microscopic cell imaging to a MM plate reader platform; influence of the availability of cell imaging on some new MM plate reader platforms on future purchasing consideration of these readers or brands; level of importance on having cell imaging enabled on respondent's next purchase of a MM plate reader; assays which respondent's currently run on MM plate reader they would like to multiplex (correlate) with microwell cell imaging; opinion on existing provision of fluorescence lifetime (FLT) on specialty plate readers; effect of lack of FLT provision on a MM reader on readout adoption; usefulness of bulk fluorescence readout in detecting changes in 3D cell cultures derived from various approaches; where MM plate reader manufacturers should improve their offerings with respect to reading 3D cell cultures and more.

Survey responses were geographically split: 37% Europe; 36% North America; 14% Asia (excluding Japan); 9% Rest of World and 4% Japan. Respondents came from 58 University / Research Institute / Not-for-Profit Facilities; 17 Biotechs; 14 Pharma; 12 Hospitals/Clinics/Medical Schools; 4 Contract Research Organizations; 3 Government / Military / Defense Facilities; 2 Agri Biotechs / Plant Genomics Facilities; 2 Diagnostic Companies; and 2 Others. Most survey respondents had a senior job role or position which was in descending order: 27 research scientists; 18 professors / assistant professors; 15 directors; 14 principal investigators; 10 lab managers; 9 senior scientists / researchers; 8 others; 4 post-docs; 4 section/group leaders; 4 department heads; and 1 vice president. Order a copy of this survey report at http://www.reportsnreports.com/Purchase.aspx?name=269004 .

The MM plate reader most frequently found in respondent's lab was from PerkinElmer. The MM plate readers most used in respondent's labs were from Molecular Devices or PerkinElmer. 33% of respondents did not have a preferred MM plate reader brand (manufacturer). Access to a new functionality or readout mode was ranked what most influenced a decision to purchase a MM plate reader other than a preferred brand. Most respondents reported price had a moderate influence on a purchasing selection. Most respondents indicated that they would consider purchasing an unknown brand of MM plate reader if it offered equal performance but at a lower price.

The median average price paid for a MM plate reader over the past 3 years was $25K-$50K. $75K was the median price-point above which respondents would not purchase a fully specified MM plate reader. Absorbance and glow luminescence were the most used MM plate reader detection modalities.  Respondent feedback on MM plate reader accessible assays/applications where they expect label-free will add most value was documented. Opinion on the value of adding brightfield and fluorescence microscopic cell imaging to a MM plate reader was relatively evenly split between pros and cons. The majority reported that the availability of brightfield and fluorescence microscopic cell imaging would influence their future purchasing consideration of brands offering it (i.e. Molecular Devices and BioTek).

Having a brightfield and fluorescence microscopic cell imaging option enabled on their next purchase of a MM plate reader was moderately important to most respondents. The majority had no opinion or were not interested in the provision of FLT on specialty readers. Most reported the lack of FLT provision on a MM plate reader had no effect on their readout adoption. Non-imaging (bulk) readouts were rated only moderately useful with various 3D cell culture approaches (http://www.reportsnreports.com/reports/266053-3d-cell-culture-trends-2013.html ). High priority should be given to improving data reproducibility/quality of 3D cell culture reads. The average median purchasing frequency for a new MM plate reader was every 6-7 years. 25% of purchasing decisions were related to the need to replace an aging or unreliable reader.  A median budget of $25K – $50K/lab was allocated for spending on new MM plate readers in 2013.

Greatest interest was expressed in purchasing Molecular Devices – SpectraMax i3 MM plate reader. BioTek, Perkin Elmer and Molecular Devices had the greatest % share of the MM plate reader market. Experience of MM plate readers with respect to dependability was overall highest with Molecular Devices. Experience of MM plate readers with respect to responsiveness was overall highest with PerkinElmer. Experience of MM readers with respect to interactive approach was overall highest with BMG Labtech.

The full report at http://www.reportsnreports.com/reports/269004-multi-mode-microplate-trends-2013.html provides the data, details of the breakdown of the responses for each question, its segmentation and the estimates for the future. It also highlights a few interesting differences between the survey groups.

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