Companies in the microarray sector are trying to take the technology out of core facilities and put it into the hands of individual researchers by developing technologies such as smaller, less-costly scanners and more streamlined software for array analysis. These improvements could make microarray technology more attractive to labs that lack the large budgets required for sophisticated biochip-related equipment. CLONDIAG® Chip Technologies of Jena, Germany, has taken this trend one step further with the launch of its Array Tube® (AT) technology, a new nonfluorescence-based microarray platform that integrates DNA, oligo, or protein arrays with standard reaction tubes.
CLONDIAG's ATs contain a 3 x 3 mm microarray chip embedded in the bottom of a 1.5 ml microcentrifuge tube. Users perform the hybridization, washing, and blocking steps directly in the tube using conventional, microcentrifuge tube- compatible lab instruments, eliminating the need for any specialized microarray equipment. In addition, the reaction mixture is ...
