B2.4 - Protein Microarrays for Diagnostic Assays
- Event
- SENSOR+TEST Conferences 2009
2009-05-26 - 2009-05-28
Congress Center Nürnberg - Band
- Proceedings SENSOR 2009, Volume I
- Chapter
- B2 - Medical Application II
- Author(s)
- M. Hartmann, T. Joos - University of Tübingen, Reutlingen, Germany, J. Roeraade - Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
- Pages
- 177 - 179
- DOI
- 10.5162/sensor09/v1/b2.4
- ISBN
- 978-3-9810993-4-8
- Price
- free
Abstract
A protein microarray, sometimes referred to as a protein chip, allows quantifying a large number of target analytes from minimal samples, using immobilized antibodies as capture molecules. Immobilized proteins in a microarray allow screening for reactive antibodies in serum samples, providing a multiplex approach to identify protein-protein interactions, identifying substrates of protein kinases or identifying the targets of biologically active small molecules. The array is a piece of chemically modified glass on which different capture molecules have been immobilized in separate spots in rows and columns thus forming a microarray. Typically hundreds or thousands of spots, each containing a unique capture molecule, are employed allowing to test for multiple binding events within a single assay. The dimension of a spot is approximately 150 μm and some thousand spots can be immobilized on an area of the size of a one-cent coin. This high degree of parallelization and miniaturization of protein microarrays reduces sample and reagent consumption. According to Roger Ekins’ ambient analyte theory such miniaturized immunoassays are under certain circumstances even more sensitive than classical immunoassays.