Multi-well plate readers and methods of their use

1. A multi-well plate reader comprising:

a reading platform to receive a multi-well plate; and

a plurality of optical channel modules comprising optical channels, each optical channel module capable of transmitting light at a plurality of different wavelengths to, and detecting light at a plurality of different wavelengths from, a set of wells of the multi-well plate.

2. The multi-well plate reader of claim 1 , wherein the optical channels comprise:

at least three light sources for emitting three beams of light at three distinct wavelengths and to be transmitted to the set of wells; and

one or more dichroic mirrors to join at least two of the beams of light in space and pass the two joined beams of light through at least one homogenizer for spatially homogenizing the two joined beams of light.

3. The multi-well plate reader of claim 2 , wherein the homogenizer forms the two joined beams of light into a substantially uniform and rectangular region of illumination.

4. The multi-well plate reader of claim 2 , wherein the optical channels comprise a microlens array that divides the two joined beams of light into uniform beamlets of light directed towards a reflector array.

5. The multi-well plate reader of claim 4 , wherein the reflector array comprises an array of metallic reflectors for directing each of the uniform beamlets of light into a center of a separate respective well of the set of wells and avoids illumination of well walls.

6. The multi-well plate reader of claim 5 , wherein the number of uniform beamlets of light directed towards the set of wells is directly proportional to the overall number of wells of the multi-well plate.

7. The multi-well plate reader of claim 6 , wherein the multi-well plate is a 96-, 384-, or 1536-well plate.

8. The multi-well plate reader of claim 7 , wherein the reflector array is operable to direct approximately 4 uniform beamlets of light into a set of 4 wells of a 96-well plate.

9. The multi-well plate reader of claim 7 , wherein the reflector array is operable to direct approximately 16 uniform beamlets of light into a set of 16 wells of a 384-well plate.

10. The multi-well plate reader of claim 7 , wherein the reflector array is operable to direct approximately 64 uniform beamlets of light into a set of 64 wells of a 1536-well plate.

11. The multi-well plate reader of claim 1 , further comprising imaging lens to direct light from a sample in a well onto an image sensor.

12. The multi-well plate reader of claim 11 , wherein the image sensor comprises an sCMOS image sensor.

13. The multi-well plate reader of claim 1 , wherein at least one light transmitted is a stimulation beam of light, and the optical channels comprise a digital micromirror device (DMD) and the stimulation beam of light reflects off the DMD to illuminate a bottom of a well of the set of wells with a pattern defined by the DMD.

14. The multi-well plate reader of claim 1 , wherein each optical channel module detects the light at the plurality of different wavelengths simultaneously.

15. The multi-well plate reader of claim 1 , wherein the light is stimulation light.

16. The multi-well plate reader of claim 15 , wherein the light is stimulation light at a wavelength that excites a fluorophore in a cell.

17. The multi-well plate reader of claim 15 , wherein the light is activation light at a wavelength that activates a light-gated ion channel in a cell.

18. The multi-well plate reader of claim 17 , wherein the light-gated ion channel is in a pre-synaptic neuron connected to a non-selected cell via a synapse.

19. The multi-well plate reader of claim 18 , wherein the non-selected cell comprises an optical reporter of synaptic activity.

20. The multi-well plate reader of claim 1 , wherein the platform further comprises a mechanism to displace the plate with respect to the optical channels.

21. The multi-well plate reader of claim 20 , wherein the mechanism is a motor.

22. The multi-well plate reader of claim 20 , wherein the mechanism comprises a plate pusher that displaces the multi-well plate with respect to the optical channels to thereby align sets of the plurality of wells of the multi-well plate with a different optical channel.

23. The multi-well plate reader of claim 1 , wherein the optical channels are coupled to a processing system operable to model activity of a cell in a well using emission light from the well.

24. The multi-well plate reader of claim 23 , wherein the activity is a biological signal.

25. The multi-well plate reader of claim 24 , wherein the biological signal is selected from an action potential, a synaptic signal, a change in membrane potential, a change in intracellular ion concentration and a change in concentration of intracellular mediators.