FABRICATION OF DNA CHIPS FOR DIAGNOSTIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL APPLICATIONS

【摘要】：正Detection of infectious species and genetic mutations at the DNA level opens up the possibility of performing reliable diagnosis even before any symptoms of a disease appear. DNA chip technology refers to the preparation of high-density DNA probe array on the surface of glass slides or silicon chips, with each probe capable of hybridizing with its complementary sequence. A DNA chip can be used to screen hundreds to thousands of genes for their activities and sequence variations or to detect dozens of common viruses and bacteria, thus significantly increasing the speed and throughput of clinical diagnosis and environmental monitoring. Recently in our laboratory, we have developed a simple, low-cost DNA arrayer that is capable of fabricating arrays containing up to 2000 different DNA probes on a single glass slide. Prototype DNA chips are being developed for the applications in infectious disease diagnosis and detection of environmental pathogens.