Abstract: The present invention comprises a microtiter plate formed of a substantially rigid, polymeric plate having a substantially flat upper surface and a regular array of similar wells, typically either cylindrical or frusto-conical, each well being defined by a fluid-impervious peripheral wall extending a predetermined distance along an axis substantially perpendicularly to that upper surface between an opening in the upper surface and a well bottom. Disposed within the well adjacent the bottom is a porous structure providing a surface area at least five times greater than the surface area of the interior well bottom. The well bottom may be either fluid impervious or pervious. Where the well bottom is fluid pervious, it may be formed from a fluid impervious sheet apertured to accept and be bonded to the peripheries of the ends of a plurality of fluid pervious ultrafiltration fibers that may have hollow cores.

Abstract: A micro-titre test plate includes a thermoplastic incubation tray having an array of a plurality of wells extending therethrough, a filter, and a thermoplastic harvester tray for supporting the filter sheet. The harvester tray has a plurality of apertures therethrough arranged to be registerable with the bottoms of the wells in the incubation tray. To prevent cross-talk between the wells along the filter, the facing surfaces of the harvester tray and incubation tray are provided with mating ridges and grooves circumscribing the juncture of each well and aperture. In one embodiment, the ridges and grooves are thermally bonded to one another to provide a fluid-impervious barrier trapping respective filter disks in the juncture of each well and aperture. In another embodiment, the harvester tray is formed of a pair of apertured, thermoplastic sheets nested with respective thermally bonded grooves and ridges to trap the filter, the harvester tray being not necessarily bonded to the incubation tray.

Abstract: A micro-titre test plate including a thermoplastic incubation tray having an array of a plurality of wells extending therethrough, filter means, and a thermoplastic harvester tray for supporting the filter sheet. The harvester tray has a plurality of apertures therethrough arranged to be registerable with the bottoms of the wells in the incubation tray. To prevent cross-talk between the wells along the filter, the facing surfaces of the harvester tray and incubation tray are provided with mating ridges and grooves circumscribing the juncture of each well and aperture. In one embodiment, the ridges and grooves are thermally bonded to one another to provide a fluid-impervious barrier trapping respective filter disks in the juncture of each well and aperture. In another embodiment, the harvester tray is formed of a pair of apertured, thermoplastic sheets nested with respective thermally bonded grooves and ridges to trap the filter, the harvester tray being not necessarily bonded to the incubation tray.