Microarray Technology

Microarray technology allows for the parallel and high-throughput analysis of gene expression present in a biological sample, as reflected in the relative amounts of mRNA transcripts.

The development of this “genomic” technology was fostered by the Human Genome Project (1990-2003), and the explosive growth in available sequence data in databases like GenBank. This data has been used to manufacture microarrays in a process likened to downloading sequence databases onto chips.

A short PowerPoint presentation illustrating the basic principles of microarrays is available for download.

Links

• Affymetrix
• Educational resources from Affymetrix
• Microarray Science Primer from the National Center for Biotechnology Information
• Children’s Hospital Informatics Program
• CHIP Textbook Microarrays for an Integrative Genomics