What is the Culture-Insert 4 Well?

A round silicone insert, 17 mm across, divided into four wells, pre-inserted into a µ-Dish 35 mm, high with an ibiTreat surface and a #1.5 polymer coverslip bottom. Seed 110 µl per well at 3 to 7 x 10⁵ cells/ml. After attachment the insert comes out and leaves a cross of cell free gaps, 500 µm ± 100 µm between neighbouring cell fronts and 1000 µm ± 100 µm across the centre span.

Four populations, four fronts, one dish. Seed the four wells with different cell types or different treatments and see which front closes first.

Why the insert rather than a pipette tip

A scratch takes the coating with it and leaves debris along both edges. The gap width depends on the person. The moulded wells give the same geometry in every dish, and the substrate under the gap is intact.

Where I would not spend the money

Four wells cost more than two. If the experiment is one condition against one control, the 2 Well is the cheaper item and gives a cleaner single gap. The centre span of 1000 µm also takes longer to close than the 500 µm side gaps, so plan the imaging interval around the longer of the two.

Key Features

• Four cell free gaps of 500 µm ± 100 µm, centre span 1000 µm ± 100 µm
• Growth area 0.35 cm² per well, 110 µl per well
• Four separately seedable wells for four conditions in one dish
• ibiTreat surface on a #1.5 polymer coverslip bottom, 180 µm
• Sterilized, single use, 30 or 200 per box