Patent ID: 7618592

Claim:
A sterile microarray kit comprising, within packaging, the following: (a) a sample plate comprising an array of wells; (b) a drain plate comprising an array of underdrains, each underdrain comprising an upstream end and a downstream end, with a spout provided at said downstream end that enables fluid to flow out of said underdrain, and the drain plate being engaged onto said sample plate such that the array of underdrains are in register with said wells, and whereby fluid placed in said wells flow into said underdrains when the drain plate is engaged onto said sample plate; and (c) a single continuous plate liner comprising an array of hermetic spout isolators, the plate liner being detachably engaged or engageable manually onto said drain plate such that the hermetic spout isolators are in register with said underdrains, wherein a hermetic seal is formed at or around the underdrain spouts when the plate liner is engaged onto the drain plate, and wherein: (i) the flow of fluid placed in said wells and passing into said underdrains is hermetically blocked from flowing past the hermetic spout isolators when the plate liner is engaged onto said drain plate, wherein the hermetic spout isolators are capable of either prevention of pendant drop formation or containment of pendant drop formation is a pendant drop is formed, such that any appreciable amount of fluid placed in the wells is prevented from leaving the wells or the underdrains when the plate liner is engaged onto the drain plate, and if any fluid leaves the wells, the volume of such fluid is substantially less or negligible compared to the fluid volume of said wells, and (ii) the force required to disengage the plate liner from said drain plate is substantially less than the force required to disengage said drain plate from said sample plate.