IF-40. A new polystyrene microscope tray for immunofluorescent studies.

A polystyrene plate is described which was designed to replace microscope slides for routine immunofluorescent examinations. The plate has 40 flat indentations of 8 mm diameter. The plates can be sterilized and stored in plastic bags. They are well suited for drop preparations or application of cryostat slices of biopsy and necropsy material, and tissue cultures can be grown directly in the indentations. When compared with glass microscope slides, which have long been used for these purposes, the polystyrene plates offer a variety of advantages. Cells can be grown directly in the indentations without washing or pretreating the trays in any way. The indentations prohibit mixing of samples or reagents and enable the use of smaller quantities of reagents. Up to 40 samples can be worked up simultaneously on one plate, or a plate rack can be used for the processing of up to 400 samples at once. The use of a special stage enables easy microscoping of all 40 spots without further handling of the tray.