Investigators can either generate their own arrays in-house if they have the requisite instrumentation, or alternatively, custom-order them from companies that provide this service. However, growing numbers of "stock," premade arrays are becoming commercially available. Owing to their prefabricated nature, these products offer less flexibility in experimental design. However, purchasing arrays "off the shelf" may prove to be an economical and timesaving option for a variety of applications.
Premade arrays vary in the relative number and nature of the gene probes, spot size, type of support used, and the method used to make the array. There is great diversity in the numbers of genes evaluated; premade arrays can contain from tens to thousands of probes. "Microarrays" contain spots of relatively small diameter, and utilize supports that hinder spot spreading (e.g., glass or plastic). These types of supports allow one microarray to be simultaneously hybridized with different fluorescently labeled samples, although ...
