Glossary

A polar aprotic organic solvent used as the standard solvent for compound libraries in pharma. Dissolves a wide range of small molecules and stays liquid down to ~18 °C; library stocks are typically frozen at -20 to -80 °C.

Why it matters: any plate, seal, or reservoir used in compound storage must be DMSO-compatible — this is exactly why polypropylene plates and validated heat-seal foils dominate the compound-storage workflow.

A plate-based immunoassay that detects and quantifies a target protein or antigen using antibodies linked to a reporter enzyme that produces a colorimetric, fluorescent, or luminescent signal.

Why it matters: ELISA is a major use case for flat-bottom polystyrene 96-well plates — with high-binding (or specifically chosen medium-binding) surface treatment depending on which step is being immobilized.

A molecular-biology technique that amplifies a specific DNA sequence by repeated cycles of denaturation, annealing, and extension at controlled temperatures. qPCR adds real-time fluorescence detection.

Why it matters: PCR plates are thin-wall polypropylene (skirted or non-skirted); seals must survive thermal cycling and (for qPCR) be optically clear at the reader's excitation/emission wavelengths.

The double-stranded nucleic acid that carries genetic information in cells. In labs, DNA is amplified, sequenced, or quantified across countless workflows.

Why it matters: any consumable that touches DNA needs DNase-free certification — one contaminated reservoir or plate can degrade the sample and ruin the data downstream.

A typically single-stranded nucleic acid involved in protein synthesis, regulation, and (in some viruses) carrying genomic information. RNA is more fragile than DNA and easily degraded by RNase enzymes that are essentially everywhere.

Why it matters: RNA work demands RNase-free certification on plates, seals, and reservoirs end-to-end; one un-certified reservoir can sink an NGS library prep.

A company that runs research, screening, or bioanalytical work on behalf of pharma and biotech customers. CROs are high-volume, multi-customer consumables buyers, often running hundreds to thousands of plates per week.

Why it matters: CROs are tier-one accounts — bundled plates + seals + reservoirs agreements with annual volume tiers, lot reservation, and EDI ordering are the right play.

Any chemical or biological substance used to drive a reaction or detect a result in a lab workflow — buffers, antibodies, enzymes, dyes, substrates, primers, conjugates.

Why it matters: reagent volume per run drives reservoir size; reagent cost per mL drives the importance of low-dead-volume geometry and low-retention surfaces in your recommendation.

A laboratory test designed to detect, measure, or characterize a sample's properties — biochemical activity, binding affinity, cell viability, gene expression, drug concentration, and so on.

Why it matters: every plate-based assay has a chemistry, optics, and volume profile that maps to a specific plate, seal, and reservoir SKU. “What's the assay?” is the first qualifying question on every discovery call.

Literally “water-fearing.” A surface or molecule that repels water. Untreated polystyrene and polypropylene are both mildly hydrophobic.

Why it matters: hydrophobic surfaces adsorb proteins, peptides, and lipids onto the well or reservoir wall — that's wasted reagent and lost signal. This is exactly why low-binding / low-retention surface treatments exist.

Large biological molecules made of amino-acid chains that fold into specific shapes and perform most cellular functions — enzymes, receptors, antibodies, structural components.

Why it matters: protein-based reagents (antibodies, recombinant proteins, enzyme conjugates) are the most expensive line item in many assays and the most prone to wall-adsorption losses. Low-retention reservoirs and non-binding plates protect them.

Short chains of amino acids (typically <50 residues), used as substrates, standards, or therapeutic candidates.

Why it matters: dilute peptides adsorb to plate and reservoir walls even worse than full-length proteins. Low-binding consumables matter even more for dilute peptide work than for protein work.

A diverse class of hydrophobic biomolecules including fats, phospholipids (cell-membrane components), and steroid hormones.

Why it matters: lipid samples wet poorly, adsorb to hydrophobic plastic, and often need low-binding surfaces or specific solvent systems to behave reproducibly — flag this on any lipid-bioanalysis or membrane-prep workflow.

The specific substance being measured in an assay — the protein in an ELISA, the DNA target in qPCR, the drug molecule in a pharmacokinetic study.

Why it matters: “preserving the analyte” is the single most important job of the consumables stack. Every plate, seal, and reservoir choice ultimately answers: does the analyte arrive at the detector intact and at the right concentration?

The study of how a drug is absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted in the body — usually measured as drug concentration in blood or plasma over time.

Why it matters: PK assays measure low-concentration drug analytes from biological matrices — a canonical use case for low-binding plates, low-retention reservoirs, and DMSO-compatible compound stocks.