Today's "big science" is all about high throughput, a concept elegantly epitomized by the DNA microarray. Biochips let researchers analyze the expression of thousands of genes simultaneously for applications ranging from genomic research to drug development to diagnostics. But the sheer power of this technology comes at a price, in terms of both expense and experimental complexity.
Fundamentally, the quality of the microarray itself directly affects the reliability of the resultant data. With commercial arrays, researchers generally have little control over quality. But when they make their own arrays, quality control becomes a central issue.
GEARING UP Scientists should first decide on the support and surface chemistry. The support must be amenable to any subsequent surface chemistry modifications, able to withstand the printing process, and stable under hybridization conditions. As researchers commonly probe arrays with fluorescently labeled samples, the support should exhibit minimal background fluorescence. The standard glass microscopic slide ...
