In a recent issue of The Scientist, I reviewed, in a very general way, the status of data mining and presentation software with specific reference to gene expression arrays. In the course of that effort it became clear to me that detailed reviews of some of the more well-known and widely used of these software packages would be useful. This is the first in a series of articles designed to explore these packages. It is my intention to use each of the applications reviewed in an analysis and pres

In the past few years a host of new instruments and tools (and even a few companies) have appeared for creating, imaging, and analyzing arrays. Below is a list of some of the companies that are active in this field, with the caveat that some new products and approaches may have inadvertently been missed.   The Expression Data Mining Tool (EDMT) is an intuitive query that sifts through large numbers of gene expression results and identifies those that meet selected criteria based on projects

Flow cytometry instruments analyze suspensions of single cells by focusing them hydrodynamically in a columnar stream and causing them to flow past a point or points in the stream where lasers have been focused. As each cell passes through the point of excitation, it scatters the laser light, and if it is appropriately stained, it will also fluoresce. Sensors collect both the scattered light and fluorescence, and based on the timing of the pulses, the collected signals can be identified with an