Multielectrode Array Plates & Recording Arrays
MEA consumables sourced to your platform — Axion CytoView multiwell plates, Multi Channel Systems glass arrays, MaxWell HD-MEA plates — with the recurring cost stated before you commit.
| Category | Culture Devices & Custom Microfabrication |
|---|---|
| Unit | One plate, one case or one array; MaxWell consumables may be sold as an annual subscription |
| Lead time | 2-8 weeks; plates are frequently made to order and a stock-out stops a maturation schedule you cannot restart |
| Pricing | Indicative range held |
| Provenance | Partner manufactured |
| Data current | 2026-09-01 |
Description
The recording consumable is the single largest lifetime cost of an electrophysiology programme and the one nobody publishes a price for. We source MEA plates and arrays against a named platform and well format, and we bring the derived transaction data to the conversation so the quote can be sanity-checked. Axion BioSystems publishes a complete CytoView compatibility matrix — catalogue numbers, well counts, electrodes per well, bottom material, wall colour — and no prices; MaxWell Biosystems, Multi Channel Systems, 3Brain and Alpha MED Scientific are the same. Multi Channel Systems operates a public shop but restricts it to its direct sales territory of Europe, Australia and New Zealand and requires an account. Format matters more than price here: an Axion CytoView MEA 48 gives 16 electrodes per well in a 4x4 grid over roughly a 1.1 x 1.1 mm area, a CytoView MEA 96 gives 8 electrodes at 350 um spacing in a 500 uL well, and a MaxWell MaxTwo well gives 26,400 electrodes at 17.5 um pitch across a 3.85 x 2.10 mm sensing area with up to 1,020 simultaneous readout channels. Those are different experiments, not different price points. We also flag the two commercial structures that do not appear on any specification page and routinely surprise buyers: consumables sold as an annual subscription rather than by the box, and stimulation assay capability licensed as separate software. Where the platform supports a validated reuse protocol — Multi Channel Systems single-well glass arrays and Alpha MED Scientific MED Probes are routinely cleaned and reused, Axion CytoView is designed for one-time plating — reuse changes the three-year consumable line by more than any negotiation will.
Why this is hard to buy today
Every MEA vendor publishes a complete electrode specification and no price at all, so a first-time buyer cannot sanity-check a quote or model the recurring consumable cost before committing to a platform. We had to reconstruct the two Axion figures from federal contract awards because there is no list price anywhere, and buyers routinely budget an assumed $150 plate that is wrong by a factor of three.
Price evidence
No MEA vendor publishes plate list pricing. The Axion and MaxWell figures below are DERIVED from named US federal contract awards on USAspending.gov by dividing the obligated amount by the quantity stated in the award description. Each is a real transaction price for that buyer on that date and an UPPER BOUND rather than a list price, because the obligation may include shipping, handling or unstated line items, and federal buyers may hold negotiated schedule pricing unavailable to other customers. (1) Axion 48-well MEA plates, product no. 1000588: $488.80 per plate, DERIVED from award PIID 75N95024P00648, National Institutes of Health to Axion BioSystems, 2024-09-19, $24,440 for a stated 10 boxes at 5 plates per box. (2) Axion CytoView MEA 48-white, 16 microelectrodes per well: $381.00 per plate, DERIVED from award PIID 75N95C21P00148, NIH to Axion BioSystems, 2021-09-27, $19,050 for a stated case of 50 plates. (3) MaxWell MaxTwo plate consumables subscription: $19,600 as a single obligation under award PIID 68HE0B25P0211, US Environmental Protection Agency, 2025-01-28 — an annual subscription commitment, not a per-plate list price; MaxLab Live stimulation assay software was obligated separately at $12,450 under PIID 68HERD25P0006, 2024-10-17. The only STATED unit prices in the category come from a supplier order confirmation published in the Czech public contracts register: Multi Channel Systems 60MEA200/30iR-Ti-gr single-well 60-electrode TiN glass MEA at EUR 328.00 each (qty 25) and 60-6wellMEA200/30iR-Ti-tcr at EUR 399.00 each (qty 2), order confirmation 800-021322-1 to Masaryk University Faculty of Medicine, 2024-10-14. That same document states a minimum order value of EUR 500.00 net with an additional EUR 25.00 charge on any order below it.
These are supplier list prices we located and recorded, not a quotation from Wetware World. Your price depends on quantity, specification and freight, and is only binding once issued in writing.
What you must specify
A quote cannot be produced without these. Anything you leave open, a supplier will assume — usually expensively.
| # | Parameter |
|---|---|
| 01 | MEA platform and instrument model (Axion Maestro Pro/Edge/Volt, MaxWell MaxTwo/MaxOne, Multi Channel Systems MEA2100, 3Brain, Alpha MED) |
| 02 | Plate format and vendor catalogue number (e.g. CytoView MEA 6/12/24/48/96) |
| 03 | Electrodes per well required, and whether single-cell resolution or population activity is the endpoint |
| 04 | Bottom material and wall colour (transparent SU-8, glass, white/black polystyrene) and whether optical multiplexing is needed |
| 05 | Single-use or reusable, and if reusable the number of cleaning cycles the vendor will stand behind on electrode impedance |
| 06 | Annual plate volume, quoted at three quantities so the discount curve is visible |
| 07 | Whether a consumables subscription is offered, its annual commitment and the under-consumption penalty |
| 08 | Whether analysis software is perpetual or subscription, and which assay modules are separately licensed |
| 09 | Coating requirement (PDL, PEI, poly-ornithine, laminin) and whether it is applied by the vendor |
| 10 | Minimum order value and freight terms |
Quality documentation
Typically available with this item. What actually ships is confirmed on the quotation, per supplier.
- Manufacturer certificate of conformance for the plate lot
- Vendor-stated electrode impedance specification
- Sterility status as supplied
- Dimensional and format conformance to the stated catalogue number
Candidate suppliers
Organisations we have identified as capable. Listing does not imply a partnership, an endorsement, or that they have agreed to quote.
| Organisation | Basis for inclusion |
|---|---|
| Axion BioSystems | Publishes the full CytoView MEA plate range with catalogue numbers, well counts, electrodes per well, bottom material and wall colour, and no prices. Per-plate figures of $488.80 (2024) and $381.00 (2021) are derived from USAspending.gov awards 75N95024P00648 and 75N95C21P00148 respectively, both with quantities stated in the award description. |
| Multi Channel Systems MCS GmbH | Stated unit prices of EUR 328.00 (60MEA200/30iR-Ti-gr) and EUR 399.00 (60-6wellMEA200/30iR-Ti-tcr) published in order confirmation 800-021322-1, 2024-10-14, in the Czech public contracts register. Public online shop is restricted to Europe, Australia and New Zealand and requires an account. Single-well glass arrays are routinely cleaned and reused. |
| MaxWell Biosystems | Publishes MaxTwo HD-MEA specifications (26,400 electrodes per well, 3,265 electrodes/mm2, 17.5 um pitch, 3.85 x 2.10 mm sensing area, up to 1,020 simultaneous readout channels) with no pricing. A plate consumables subscription at $19,600 appears as a single obligation in USAspending award 68HE0B25P0211, US EPA, 2025-01-28. |
Sources
- https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_75N95024P00648
- https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_75N95C21P00148
- https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_68HE0B25P0211
- https://smlouvy.gov.cz/smlouva/soubor/37357952/Order_confirmation.pdf
- https://www.axionbiosystems.com/products/consumables/cytoview-mea-plate
- https://www.mxwbio.com/products/maxtwo
doc WW-DV-96636 · rev 2026-09-01 · research use only · prices indicative and not binding until quoted in writing