A unique new calibration product from Starna allows users of plate readers to validate their measurements for absorbance and wavelength accuracy across the UV and visible spectrum and provides a comprehensive fully traceable validation solution for all 96-well UV plate readers.

The use of plate readers for quantitative measurements is common in the pharmaceutical industry and life sciences because of the microplate benefits of speed and smaller sample volumes. Many measurements are made in the UV, but for laboratories needing to adhere to FDA or EMEA guidelines, there have until now been no traceable certified reference materials with which to provide evidence of control for wavelength and absorbance accuracy in this region of the spectrum. The only reference materials so far offered for use with plate readers have been filter based and unsuitable for use at the UV wavelengths at which many measurements are made. These new standards were developed after enquiries were received about using Starna’s well-established spectrophotometer CRM’s with microplate readers.

The new Starna liquid plate reader CRM's have a unique (patent applied for) sealed cell design, which allows their use horizontally in the plate reader, or vertically in a reference spectrophotometer for certification. The wavelength and absorbance standard comprises six CRMs housed in a black anodised aluminium microplate, manufactured to the Society of Biomolecular Screening (SBS) dimensional standards. The whole range of Starna liquid references, covering other parameters like resolution and stray light, will become available in this new format.

All Starna CRM's are produced in an environment accredited to both ISO Guide 34 and ISO/IEC 17025, as now required by ILAC (International Laboratory Accreditation Co-operation) for Reference Material producers, and are calibrated in Starna Scientific’s UKAS accredited laboratory.

These new references are covered by the same lifetime guarantee as Starna’s other reference materials, provided they have been used and stored correctly, and re-certified by Starna every two years.