Overview

The Lumat LB 9510 delivers the functionality, versatility, and superior performance expected from a Berthold Technologies luminometer. Its optimized optical system provides true single photon counting combined with a low-noise photomultiplier tube, delivering up to 6 decades of linear dynamic range. The compact benchtop design incorporates all the key features needed for modern research applications in molecular biology, biochemistry, and drug discovery.

With a stringent selection of photomultipliers operating in photon counting mode and more than 40 years of luminometer engineering experience, the Lumat offers exceptional luminescence sensitivity. The high-sensitivity model reliably detects less than 1 zeptomole of firefly luciferase and less than 1 attomole of ATP per tube, making it one of the most sensitive tube luminometers available.

Applications

The Lumat LB 9510 supports a broad range of luminescence-based research applications, including:

Key Features

• True single photon counting with low-noise photomultiplier tube for maximum sensitivity
• Up to 6 decades of linear dynamic range
• Standard sensitivity: <5 amol ATP/tube; High-sensitivity model: <1 amol ATP/tube
• Up to 2 JET injectors with frictionless Teflon bellows technology
• Ultra-fast injection speed eliminates delay between injection and measurement
• Accurate pipetting with >98% accuracy and precision across the entire volume range
• Cell-friendly design with negligible shear forces for suspension cell assays
• Motor-driven turret with dual-tube rotating chamber for convenient sample switching
• Load and unload samples while the previous measurement is still running
• Compact footprint for space-efficient benchtop operation

JET Injection Technology

The Lumat LB 9510 can be equipped with up to 2 JET injectors, each offering variable injection volumes to match assay requirements. The ultra-fast injection speed is critical for flash luminescence measurements, where any delay between reagent addition and signal detection can result in significant data loss.

Two injector volume ranges are available: 10–100 µL for small-volume assays and 25–300 µL for larger reagent additions. Injection speeds are adjustable from 200 to 440 µL/s to optimize mixing efficiency for different reaction chemistries.

Sample Handling

The Lumat features a convenient motor-driven turret mechanism that streamlines sequential sample measurement. A rotating measurement chamber accommodates two tubes simultaneously — one positioned for measurement while the other is available for loading and unloading. This design eliminates idle time between samples and significantly increases throughput for laboratories running large assay batches.

The instrument accepts a variety of standard tube formats without requiring adapters:

• Luminescence tubes, 12 × 47 mm
• Luminescence tubes, 12 × 55 mm
• Luminescence tubes, 12 × 75 mm
• Microcentrifuge tubes, 1 mL, 1.5 mL, and 2 mL

ICE Software Suite

The Lumat LB 9510 is controlled through Berthold's wizard-driven ICE software, connected to the instrument via USB. The intuitive interface guides users through assay setup, measurement execution, and data analysis with minimal training required. Three software packages are available to match different laboratory needs:

• ICE Research — For single, dual, and kinetics measurements. Supports endpoint and kinetic acquisition modes with flexible measurement times from 0.1 to 600 seconds and programmable delays up to 600 seconds.
• ICE Immunoassay — For single measurements with built-in curve fitting, standard curve generation, and cut-off evaluation. Streamlines immunoassay development and routine screening workflows.
• ICE Advanced — Combines all capabilities of both ICE Research and ICE Immunoassay in a single comprehensive package for laboratories requiring maximum flexibility.

Measurement Capabilities

The Lumat LB 9510 supports both endpoint and kinetic measurement modes. Endpoint mode captures the total luminescence signal over a defined integration period, while kinetic mode records the luminescence time course to monitor reaction progression in real time. Dual measurement mode enables sequential detection of two different luminescence signals from the same sample, a critical requirement for normalized reporter gene assays such as Dual Luciferase protocols.

Measurement parameters are fully configurable: single and dual measurements can be set from 0.1 to 600 seconds, with pre-measurement delays of up to 600 seconds to accommodate reagent equilibration or temperature stabilization requirements.

Technical Specifications