Spark  10M 

IMAGING MULTIMODE READER

02 SPARK 10M BROCHURE

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Engineered with cellular assays in mind .

Capabilities At Tecan, we understand the demands of cell-based
Cell counting and viability analysis applications and the challenges they pose every day.
Automated cell imaging You need a plate reader that ensures not only ideal
Automated cell confluence cellular conditions, but also excellent assay results. And
Cell incubation
that’s exactly what you get with the Spark 10M, which
Evaporation protection
boasts a range of features and capabilities for specialized
Automated microplate lid handling
activities such as fast cell counting and evaluation of cell
Reagent dispensing with heating
and stirring
proliferation by confluence analysis.
Te-Cool™ cooling

Absorbance

DNA quantification

NA labeling efficiency

Cuvette port

Fluorescence intensity

Time-resolved fluorescence (TRF)

Fluorescence resonance
energy transfer (FRET) With a single click, SparkControl™ gives you fast, accurate cell counts for live/dead analysis

Time-resolved fluorescence
Label-free cell counting and fast viability analysis
resonance energy transfer (TR-FRET)
With its built-in cell counter, the Spark 10M can analyze a broad range of
Fluorescence polarization
cell sizes and types, providing fully automated label-free cell counting and
Luminescence (flash and glow) analysis in less than 30 seconds.
Alpha Technology · Accurate, reproducible cell counting, with flexible area selection for
Luminescence scanning greater sensitivity
· One-click analysis providing cell number, size distribution and viability
Multi-color luminescence
· Export cell images for visual confirmation
(BRET 1, BRET2™, BRET 3, Chroma-Glo™)
· High-precision cell counting, even at low concentrations
SparkControl™ software
· Automated replicate processing for multiple samples in disposable Cell Chips™
SparkControl Magellan™

QC tools (IQ/OQ services)

Connect™ microplate stacker

Tecan’s innovative Cell Chips minimize Spark 10M lets you generate automatic
T RANSCREENER
R

T RANSCREENER
R

T RANSCREENER
R
sample preparation, offering greater mean value calculations of samples in
Red FI validated
application flexibility and opening up multiple disposable Cell Chips.
Far Red FP validated Red TR-FRET validated

www.bellbrooklabs.com www.bellbrooklabs.com www.bellbrooklabs.com

new cell counting possibilities.
 SPARK 10M BROCHURE 03

No matter what your application, the Spark 10M multimode reader delivers the
ideal combination of advanced capabilities and exceptional ease of use, enhancing
productivity with a series of unique features and benefits.
R = 0,98957
Automated cell imaging and confluence measurements 100
90

It is necessary to normalize results over several wells across a 80

70

Confluence %
microplate to have confidence in your cell-based assay results. 60 10% 30%
50
The problem is that you don’t know how many cells have adhered 40 70% 90%
to the bottom of the microplate, or even grown, over a certain 30
20
period of time. It is now possible to automatically measure cell 10

confluence and image cells in the well of a microplate. This allows 0

0 0,1 0,2 0,3 0,4 0,5 0,6

the system to automatically inject a compound or measure a GFP BCA OD

The growth of HeLa cells at various confluence

signal once a user-defined cell confluence is reached, providing
levels and the corresponding increase of
more reliable results. protein content measured using a BCA assay
protocol.

Maintain stable culture conditions and improve cell growth 600 5000 cells / medium with FCS

An integrated Gas Control Module (GCM™) features two independent 500 ■ Spark
■ no GCM
gas inlets that allow automated control of CO2 and O2 concentrations 400

inside the reader chamber for:

cell growth [%]

300
· Stable long-term cell culture environments
200
· Improved cell viability and extended experiment times without adversely
affecting results
100

· Optimization of gas levels and mixtures with independent regulation 0

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

of CO2 and O2 concentrations time [h]

· Software-controlled, automated adjustments for real-time modulation Comparison of cell proliferation in the
of gas concentrations during a run Spark 10M reader with integrated GCM
and a standard microplate reader.

Evaporation protection to enhance cell viability

Built-in evaporation protection enhances live cell kinetic assays for better
reproducibility and more reliable data. A patent-pending Humidity Cassette
reduces evaporation in standard microplates, minimizing edge effects and
enabling long-term live kinetic studies without the need to switch to dedicated
and costly microplate types; simply use your current, validated plates.

Minimize evaporation and contamination with automated microplate

lid handling
The integrated microplate Lid Lifter™ simplifies applications such as
absorbance and luminescence assays by automatically removing the lid
for measurements. It gives you the flexibility to perform automated
reagent additions during an experiment without manual intervention. This
patented feature optimizes CO2/O2 exchange and minimizes evaporation,
allowing walkaway automation for experiments such as long-term kinetic
assays.

Reagent dispenser with heating and stirring enhances application flexibility

Integrated injectors help to generate consistent data by eliminating
precipitation and salt formation. Independent heating and stirring capabilities
increase the reliability and reproducibility of compound handling, as well as
enabling automated dispensing of viable cells.
04 SPARK 10M BROCHURE

Designed for flexibility. Engineered for performance.

Broaden your format flexibility

Spark 10M reads cuvettes, the low-volume NanoQuant Plate™, disposable Cell Chips, Roboflask ® and is
also compatible with all standard ANSI/SLAS microplate formats up to 384 wells.

Absorption

Absorbance – get a full spectrum quickly, with ultra-fast

4,5

3,5
absorbance measurements
3 Spark 10M’s patent-pending High-Speed Monochromator (HSM) delivers
complete spectra – from 200–1,000 nm – in just 5 seconds. These ultra-
OD

2,5

2 fast measurements offer the speed of a diode array with the precision and
1,5 flexibility of a monochromator for wide-ranging and detailed spectra.
1

0,5

0
Fast absorbance scan of a didymium filter
200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
Wavelength [nm] from 200–1,000 nm with 1 nm resolution

Ultra-fast DNA quantification

With its High-Speed Monochromator, the Spark 10M provides unparalleled
wavelength accuracy for DNA and protein quantification:
· Improved performance and increased dynamic range from UV to NIR
· Full absorbance spectrum data from 200–1,000 nm in less than 5 seconds
· High accuracy, especially in the deep UV range (230–260 nm), for complete
confidence in your DNA sample QC
· An OD range from 0–4 ensures good linearity, requiring fewer dilutions and
less manual pipetting

Fluorescence – Fusion Optics deliver the best of both worlds

Emission Excitation
Spark 10M is the first instrument to offer independent, user-selectable
  filters and monochromators on both the excitation AND emission sides for
  any measurement. You no longer have to choose between sensitivity OR
flexibility — you can now have both. Every well. Every assay. Every time.
Monochromator Filter
From both the top and bottom of your sample.
®
Fusion Optics:
provides easy access to
flexibility and sensitivity;
always freely selectable in
the SparkControl software.
 SPARK 10M BROCHURE 05

Unparalleled flexibility for luminescence

Optimize your assays with Spark 10M’s multi-color luminescence option. The
system offers an excellent dynamic range of 10 9 using up to 3 OD attenuation,
with 40 user-selectable filters to provide unprecedented freedom for virtually
any luminescence measurements, including BRET 1,2,3 and Chroma-Glo.

Using a unique filter-based technique, the desired detection wavelength

for multi-color luminescence measurements can be selected with only a
few mouse clicks.
Enhance your assay performance and
flexibility with multi-color luminescence
and luminescence scanning.

High performance Alpha Technology 5.00

5,00 Detection
Detection Limit
Limit

Alpha Technology comprises AlphaScreen®, AphaLISA® and AlphaPlex®, and 4.50

4,50

4.00
is a luminescent bead-based assay technology designed for the measurement
4,00
3.62
3,62

[ng/ml Omnibeads]
3.50
3,50

of biological interactions. Spark 10M is equipped with a high performance laser

[ng/mL Omnibeads]
3.00
3,00

light source for excitation, and an IR sensor for well-by-well temperature 2.50
2,50

correction. This results in better sensitivity, uniformity and linearity for 2.00
2,00
1,58
1.58
your Alpha assays. SparkControl also offers preselected filter settings for 1.50
1,50

AlphaScreen, AlphaLISA and AlphaPlex, as well as user-selectable filter 1.00

1,00

0.50
settings for future Alpha Technology applications.
0,50

0.00
0,00
Spark
Spark Sparktemp.
Spark temp. corr.
corr.

2.5

2
Ambient

% CV
1.5
Improved temperature control with Te-Cool 28 °C
1
A stable temperature is a prerequisite for getting reliable results. Whether 0.5

you read enzymatic reactions such as luciferase assays, run temperature- 0

0 5 10 15 20
dependent Alpha assays, or study kinetic assays of living organisms, you min

need precise, controllable cooling. Now, for the first time, Te-Cool lets you
keep your assay stable at a specific temperature for long periods.
For most readers, the specified minimum temperature inside a plate reader is
defined as a few degrees above ambient. This can vary significantly depending
on the time of year and location, and so will your results. Temperature gradients
Assays run at equilibrated ambient temperatures
lead to better sensitivity. The CV is shown for
absorbance readings taken at 570 nm every 5
min with Spark set to ambient temperature with
Te-Cool vs. a higher temperature set at 28 oC.
1.400 Ambient +8 °C CV=14,6

1.300 Ambient +4 °C
can also occur across a microplate with many readers, leading to poor precision 1.200 Ambient
Luminescence [RLU]

and variations in your results. 1.100

1.000
CV=7,7
900
A key benefit of Spark’s Te-Cool module is the ability to measure your assay 800

at ambient temperatures, ensuring more stable readings without even 700

600 CV=0,4
needing to know the exact temperature – the software takes care of 500
everything, keeping the measurement chamber at ambient temperature. 400
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Time [min]

Enzymatic assays are temperature sensitive.

A luminescence assay was measured kinetically
over a time course of 10 min. Best results
with lowest CV were obtained when setting
Connect microplate stacker for Spark 10M Spark 10M at a constant ambient temperature
with Te-Cool.
The Connect is a versatile microplate stacker designed to allow walkaway
batch processing for up to 50 microplates per run. It interfaces directly with
SparkControl Magellan reader software for easy operation, offering increased
throughput for a wide range of applications in genomics, proteomics and drug
discovery.

Connect stacker highlights include:

· Designed for reliable operation and ease of use
· Dark cover to protect light-sensitive well contents
· Allows manual operation of single plates
· Barcode scanner option which can read either short side of the plate
· C hoice of 30- or 50-plate column cassettes to suit your
throughput requirements
06 SPARK 10M BROCHURE

Standard OR

Fast, simple instrument operation is at your fingertips Optimized fluorescence bottom-

reading with Tecan’s unique Optimal
with SparkControl’s touch-optimized, intuitive interface.
Read (OR) function. OR ensures
Engineered to simplify your daily laboratory tasks, very low CVs by performing multiple
SparkControl offers: measurements on spatially separated
spots arrayed across each well.

Substrate

FIRST
MEASUREMENT

Substrate

SECOND
MEASUREMENT

High definition well scans provide
a complete picture of the cell
population in each well for more
accurate signals, even with inhomo–
geneous cell layers. The software
also provides a qualitative image of
the cell distribution.
SparkControl makes it easy to adjust
parameters during a run, including
environmental conditions such as
temperature (even below ambient)
and the CO2 and O2 levels inside
the reader.
Get instant access to applications
and enjoy easy operation with
SparkControl’s one-click, workflow-
based interface. The software makes
it easy and intuitive to translate your
workflow into a saved protocol that
can be run or edited at any time.

App App App

Cell Cell Nucleic Acid
Counting Viability Quantitation

App App
Cuvette Labelleling
Efficiency Automated z-focus adjustment
enhances the sensitivity of top-
reading fluorescence intensity and
One-click applications streamline fluorescence polarization modes,
your workflows, getting you from significantly improving the quality
sample to results faster than ever of results. No matter what your
before. plate volume, sample volume or well
shape, this unique feature makes
it easy to set up your reader for
optimum performance with varying
assay parameters.
Simplify the workflow for cell-based
assays with the cell confluence
feature. Increase confidence for
cytotoxicity, cell proliferation, and
protein expression assays by, for
example, automatically controlling
the addition of compounds at a
user-defined cell confluence.
 SPARK 10M BROCHURE 07

Extended
dynamic range

Detect even very low signals with the
Spark 10M’s extended dynamic range.
This function automatically adjusts the
gain settings during a measurement
run, allowing the detection of very
low signals without compromising on
sensitivity. All results are automatically
correlated and displayed within one
single data set.
Kinetic assay
protection
Safeguard your kinetic assays using
automated gain regulation to avoid
fluorescence measurements running
into saturation. Measurements with
different gain settings are then
automatically correlated, allowing
evaluation of the entire dataset.
SparkControl Magellan is a data analysis package
providing powerful data reduction tools for numerous
detection modes.
SparkControl Magellan offers
users an array of tools designed to
enhance functionality, simplicity
and security.
· I deal for microplate-based
applications such as ELISAs,
end-point assays, kinetic assays,
ratiometric measurements,
multi-­label measurements and
3D scanning
· Rapidly perform everything from
data reduction and curve fitting
to the calculation of kinetic
parameters, such as Michaelis-
Menten constants
· V ideo tutorials and example files
simplify operation
· Plate definition editor allows
creation of customized plate
geometry files
The software provides a suite of
sophisticated functions including:
· Full qualitative and quantitative
EIA analysis
· A ll major curve fittings, including
point-­to-­p oint, linear regression,
non-linear regression, polynomial,
cubic spline, Akima, logit-log,
four- and five-parameter fits
· C onvenient handling of dilution
series and ICx calculations
· G eneral data import and export
options, as well as automated
import of sample ID lists.
· K inetic data analysis with
calculation of slopes, onsets
and enzyme kinetics
· S pectral calculations to provide
rapid background correction,
curve smoothing, wavelength
selection, peak identification and
3D scanning

SparkControl Magellan makes it easy to Designed to simplify the user experience,

perform complete kinetic data analyses SparkControl Magellan conveniently
including the calculation of slopes, onsets handles all dilution series and ICx
and enzyme kinetics. calculations.

SparkControl Magellan Tracker offers all the functionalities necessary for

compliance with FDA regulation 21 CFR part 11 for electronic records and
signatures, while still providing all the advantages of SparkControl Magellan
Standard.

7
Typical performance values*
Absorbance
Light source Dedicated
xenon flash lamp
Spectral range 200–1,000 nm
OD range 0–4 OD
Scan speed (200–1,000 nm) ≤5 sec
Wavelength accuracy <0.3 nm
Wavelength reproducibility ≤0.3 nm
Wavelength ratio accuracy (260/230) <0.08
Wavelength ratio accuracy (260/280) <0.07
Precision @ 260 nm <0.2%
Accuracy @ 260 nm <0.5%
Limit of detection (nucleic acids) <1 ng/µl
Fluorescence intensity
Light source Dedicated xenon flash lamp
Spectral range Ex: 230–900 nm; Em: 280–900 nm
Wavelength accuracy Ex: <1 nm; Em: <2 nm
Wavelength reproducibility <1 nm
Optical mirrors 50%; 510 nm dichroic
Well scanning Up to 100 x 100 data points
Limit of detection1
Fusion F/F – top ≤0.25 pM (≤25 amol/well; 100 µl)
Fusion M/F or F/M – top ≤0.35 pM (≤35 amol/well; 100 µl)
Fusion M/M – top ≤0.50 pM (≤50 amol/well; 100 µl)
Fusion F/F – bottom ≤2.5 pM (≤0.5 fmol/well; 200 µl)
Fusion M/F or F/M – bottom ≤3.5 pM (≤0.7 fmol/well; 200 µl)
Fusion M/M – bottom ≤4.0 pM (≤0.8 fmol/well; 200 µl)
FP (fluorescence polarization)2
Spectral range 300–850 nm
Precision – Fusion F/F ≤1.5 mP
Precision – Fusion F/M ≤2.5 mP
Precision – Fusion M/F ≤2.5 mP
Precision – Fusion M/M ≤3.0 mP
TRF (time-resolved fluorescence) 3
AlphaScreen
Limit of detection ≤100 amol/well bio-LCK-P6; 20 µl
≤2.5 ng/ml Omnibeads7; 20 µl
Uniformity ≤3.0%
Z´value ≥0.9
Fastest read times8 ≤2 min (384-well plate)
≤1 min (96-well plate)
Cell counting
Size range 4–90 µm
Counting accuracy +/–10% (10–30 µm)
Counting reproducibility <10% (10–30 µm)
Cell concentration 1x104–1x107 cells/ml
Imaging speed inc. data reduction <30 sec/sample
Number of samples/run ≤8 samples
Automated cell imaging
Illumination High power LED
Image Bright-field
Objective 4x
Autofocus Laser based
Optical resolution 1.3 µm/pixel
Gas Control Module
Adjustable concentration range – CO2 0.04–10% (vol.)
Adjustable concentration range – O2 0.1–21% (vol.)
Concentration accuracy – CO2 <1% (vol.)
Concentration accuracy – O2 <0.5% (vol.)
Reagent injectors
Syringe sizes 0.5 ml; 1 ml
Pump speed 100–300 µl/sec
Injection volume 5–1,000 µl; step size: 1 µl
Dead volume ≤100 µl
Injection accuracy and precision ≤0.5% at 450 µl
Temperature control Ambient +4 °C (up to 42 °C)
Uniformity <0.5 °C

Limit of detection – Fusion F/F ≤40 fM (≤4.0 amol/well; 100 µl) Te-Cool cooling module
Limit of detection – Fusion F/M ≤65 fM (≤6.5 amol/well; 100 µl) Temperature range +18–42 °C
Limit of detection – Fusion M/F ≤65 fM (≤6.5 amol/well; 100 µl)
Shaking
Limit of detection – Fusion M/M ≤100 fM (≤10 amol/well; 100 µl)
Linear, orbital, double-orbital;
Luminescence variable amplitudes and frequencies
Spectral range 370–700 nm
Plate formats
Luminescence (glow)
Up to 384 wells; NanoQuant Plate; Cell Chip;
Limit of detection4 ≤9 pM (≤225 amol/well; 25 µl)
Cuvettes; Roboflask
Luminescence (flash)
Limit of detection5 ≤218 fM (≤12 amol/well; 55 µl) Fastest read time
Dynamic range >9 orders of magnitude 96-well plate (FI) ≤13 sec
Multi-color luminescence 38 spectral filters; 384-well plate (FI) ≤30 sec
OD1, OD2, OD3 attenuation filters

* Specifications are subject to change. Performance values represent the average observed factory tested values.
For product specifications refer to operators manual.
1) D
 etection limit for fluorescein; Fusion Optics: F-Filter; M-Monochromator; 5) Detection limit for ATP (ENLITEN® Kit)
2) FP detection limit @ 1 nM fluorescein 6) (PE# 6760620; P-Tyr-100 assay kit)
3) Detection limit for europium 7) (PE# 6760626D; Omnibeads)
4) Detection limit for ATP (144-041 ATP detection kit SL [BioTherma]) 8) Including temperature correction

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398454 V3.0 01-2016, 30110115

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might have occurred. Tecan Group Ltd. cannot, therefore, make any representations or warranties, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness
of the information provided in this publication. Changes in this publication can be made at any time without notice. All mentioned trademarks are protected
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contact your Tecan representative.

Spark multimode reader is for research use only.

Tecan is in major countries a registered trademark of Tecan Group Ltd., Männedorf, Switzerland.
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