Plattabaserad

Plattabaserad is a Swedish term used to describe laboratory methods, analyses, or workflows that rely on plate-based formats, typically microplates such as 96-, 384-, or 1536-well plates. The term emphasizes that the assay is conducted in discrete wells arranged in a plate, allowing parallel measurements and common readouts. In practice, plattabaserade approaches are widespread in the life sciences and clinical diagnostics, particularly where high-throughput or standardized conditions are advantageous. The central instrumentation is a plate reader, which can detect colorimetric, fluorometric, luminescent, or absorbance signals from each well.

Common applications include plate-based enzyme assays, immunoassays such as ELISA, nucleic acid detection in plate formats, and cell-based assays for viability, cytotoxicity, or proliferation. In drug discovery and research laboratories, plate-based screening enables testing of many samples under identical conditions, enabling robust comparisons and data automation.

Advantages of plate-based methods include reduced reagent consumption, high throughput, automated handling, and straightforward data normalization across wells. Limitations may include edge effects where outer wells behave differently, evaporation in small volumes, potential well-to-well cross-talk, and the need for specialized instrumentation and compatible reagents.

Etymologically, the term is a compound of platta ('plate') and baserad ('based'), reflecting the use of plates as the core platform. In English-language science, the concept is commonly described as "plate-based" methods.