A versatile mesh-bottom Meshwell plate enables simultaneous rapid and
highly reproducible high-throughput processing of small tissue samples or
organisms. In an embodiment, the Meshwell plate consists of 96 meshwells
and is particularly useful in assaying zebrafish embryos. The bottom tips
of standard 96-well PCR plates are removed and replaced by a mesh with
openings of about 75-300 .mu.m, preferably 150 .mu.m, in size. The
Meshwell plate is optimized to allow fast draining of solutions and to
prevent "wicking" of solution between wells. Quick and clean changes of
solution can be done either by hand or a robot. With the Meshwell plate,
waste of reagent solution and handling hazards, which may cause damage to
and/or loss of samples, are substantially minimized and/or essentially
eliminated. The Meshwell plate can be easily customized according to
number of meshwells desired and can be economically mass-produced.
