A number of companies are using the lessons and technologies of traditional genomics--the microarray chief among them--to delve into the more challenging world of functional genomics and proteomics. Most of these new arrays are low-density and, therefore, lack the high-throughput capacity of their DNA and oligo counterparts. Their use is also limited by a variety of technical challenges that are difficult to overcome.
Antibody arrays, for example, can be expensive and time consuming to produce, because they require the synthesis and purification of large numbers of antibodies. Also, protein arrays have the added complication of storage, as proteins are notoriously less stable than nucleic acids. Several companies are addressing these issues with alternatives to traditional protein and antibody arrays. But each of these technologies is still in development, and none are yet commercially available.
IT'S ALIVE! Cambridge, Mass.-based Akceli is developing cell microarrays based on the reverse transfection technology originally ...
