Microplates with Enhanced Immobilisation capabilities

A microtiter plate comprising a substrate with an arrays of wells wherein each well contains at least one insert formed of a porous or gel-like material which is disc or cylindrically shaped with at least one aperture in the centre. The apertures in the centre of the insert allow for optical interrogation of a sample contained in the well of the microtiter plate. The insert may loosely fit in the well or be tightly bound to the well wall by thermal welding, sonic welding, infrared welding, solvent welding or chemical adhesive. The insert may be formed of a polymer material, metal, ceramics, glass, oxides or phosphates. The insert may contain absorbed biological material such as proteins and cells, dyes, enzymes, catalysts, surfactants, etc. The microtiter plate may be used in genomics, proteomics and pharmaceutical applications, point -of-care in vitro diagnostics, molecular genetic analysis and nucleic acid diagnostics, cell separations, and high throughput screening of materials for separation and catalysis.