Microarray technology allows the simultaneous monitoring of expression levels of thousands of genes and even whole genomes. But the experiments themselves represent only the opening act. The grand finale, so to speak, is the data analysis. Sophisticated statistical software and tools exist, but the sheer volume of data, the likes of which are unfamiliar to most biologists (and most statisticians), still represents the primary hurdle in DNA microarray research.
"Five years ago, there were no statisticians in the field, and molecular biologists were not talking to statisticians," says Thomas J. Downey, president and CEO of Partek, a St. Charles, Mo.-based provider of statistical and visual pattern-recognition software for scientists. "I was saying, 'Hey, we need to be using statistics on this data,' and they would throw me out of the room." But things are different now, he says: "More statisticians have entered the field, although I think there is plenty ...
