Molecular Devices SpectraMax M5 Multi-Mode Microplate Reader for Absorbance and Fluorescence Assays

The Molecular Devices SpectraMax M5 is a high-performance, multi-mode microplate reader engineered for diverse biochemical and biotechnological assays. This versatile system supports absorbance, fluorescence intensity, luminescence, time-resolved fluorescence, and fluorescence polarization detection across plate formats from 6 to 384 wells, including cuvette measurements.

Key technical capabilities include:

• Dual monochromators with 1 nm wavelength resolution covering a wide spectral range (200–1000 nm) eliminating filter swaps to streamline method development.
• Sensitive detection through two photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) and a xenon flash lamp light source (1 joule/flash).
• Temperature control from 2 °C above ambient to 60 °C with uniformity under 1 °C at 37 °C, ideal for kinetic and endpoint assays.
• Integrated shaking module adjustable from 0 to 999 seconds to support homogeneous assay conditions.
• Fast read times: approximately 18 seconds for 96-well absorbance reads and less than a minute for 384-well plates, enabling enhanced throughput.
• Photometric accuracy of < ±0.006 OD over 0–2 OD range for microplates, high precision fluorescence with sensitivity down to ≤ 1 pM fluorescein (96 wells) and luminescence detection sensitivity ≤ 43 pM ATP.
• Software integration using SoftMax Pro for data acquisition, curve fitting, regression models, and compliance with audit trails, supporting molecular diagnostics and biotechnology workflows.
• Compatibility with robotic automation and barcode workflows, facilitating seamless integration into high-throughput laboratory settings.

This multi-mode plate reader is widely adopted in biotechnology, molecular biology, and clinical diagnostics, providing critical support for bioprocessing, gene editing validation, synthetic biology assays, and biopharmaceutical production pipelines. Its multi-detection capability eliminates the need for multiple instruments, optimizing lab space and workflow reliability.

Dimensions of 22 x 16 x 9 inches and a weight of 36 lbs make it benchtop suitable, with power requirements compliant with standard laboratory infrastructure (<420 watts, 100-240 VAC).

Overall, the SpectraMax M5 is a robust, flexible microplate reader essential for researchers requiring precise quantitative measurements across multiple fluorescence and absorbance modalities, critical in live-cell imaging assays, fluorescence analysis, and molecular cloning workflows.