Microarray analysis advantages

Feldman AL, Costouros NG, Wang E, Qian M, Marincola FM, Alexander HR, et al. Advantages of mRNA amplification for microarray analysis. Biotechniques 2002 33(4) 906-912. 

DNA microarrays offer the advantage of sensitivity, flexibility in the choice of genes for analysis, and power of analysis if combined with appropriate bioinformatics tools. Using DNA microarrays, the expression of thousands of genes can be measured simultaneously and in a high-throughput manner. 

We may also find that Sabatini s reverse transfection method of creating "live cell" microarrays offers even greater advantage for drug discovery and development (Ziauddin and Sabatini, 2001). Their method, relying on arrayed cDNA expression vectors to transform adherent cells, provides localized real-time gene expression analysis of the putative gene product. 

Other extensions that have been made include the construction of a biochip in which a reverse transcription PCRprocess can be carried out [384] and the integration of PCR with capillary electrophoresis [385], DNA microarray hybridization [386] and sample preparation [387,388]. The speed of analysis, the ease of integrating different functions and the relative low costs of micro-PCR production are important advantages of the miniaturized PCR technique that suggest that this bioorganic microreactor device will be thoroughly implemented in many analytical labs. 

Genomic tools 31 This method takes advantage of select genomic (microarray-or PCR-based approaches) and proteomic (antibody array analysis) tools to identify the receptors for growth factors, hormones, cytokines, and other components of cell signaling pathways expressed by a culture of interest. 

One further development of this approach has been to link chelating iminodiacetic acid groups to PEG, which in turn can be bound by Cu ions and so provide a highly specific binding site for Hisj-tagged proteins (Cha et al., 2004). Another variation is gold-coated microarrays, which have the advantage that they can be combined with surface plasma resonance (SPR) and MS for further detection and analysis of the captured molecules (Bieri et al., 1999 Houseman et... 

Fundamentally, much of the nature of the experiments derives from the area of combinatorial analysis. Many experiments must be done with very limited sample and should ultimately take advantage of a single experimental preparation. These constraints lead naturally to miniaturization and thus to microarrays. Typically, each individual experiment takes place on a spot on a surface from 10-100 /mi in diameter. Up to 105 experiments can then be conveniently carried out in a few 10 s of square centimeters. The collection is thus a microarray. 

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