Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
synthesis of oligonucleotide probe arrays or robotic microprinting nanodespensing
machine and developed miniaturized and automated versions of DNA sequencing and
analysis through microfl uidic systems.
Research in proteomics is the next logical step after genomics in the understanding of
life processes at the molecular level. Clark [1], in his article, mentioned that historically,
one can point back to over 20 years ago, when scientists fi rst thought about mapping the
entire set of human proteins. But this effort was perhaps ahead of its time, given the lack
of suitable technologies. Although automation is being applied to what has tradition-
ally been the workhorse of protein analysis - 2D-gel electrophoresis - many limitations,
remain; such as the speed, time-consumed, sensitivity, and reproducibility of this decade-
old method. Protein microarrays may be used to examine many protein-protein, protein-
ligand, or enzyme-substrate interactions on a single biochip. This has the possibility of
supplementing, or possibly replacing, the current 2D-gel technology with the protein
chips. The protein array can offer potential applications in diagnostics, drug discovery,
healthcare, environmental protection, and homeland security. In the last fi ve years, pro-
tein array chips have been extensively investigated and developed. Some products are
already available on the market today. The protein biochip provides one of the most
effi cient methods, due to its high throughput and simple operation. Expression profi l-
ing - measuring the location, timing, causative factors, and level of protein expression -
is everything to proteomics researchers and is the main application of the protein chip.
Proteomics is the analysis of protein mixtures from tissues or within a cell, both specifi c
to a disease/condition and are controlled. The objective of the protein chip is to rapidly
identify new or previously known proteins associated with the condition, and to under-
stand how their level of expression and interactions with other proteins are important,
thus forming a basis for new tools in diagnosis and drug discovery.
The biochip has great potential in biomedical, pharmaceutical, environmental, and
biodefense applications. The DNA biochip is often used in sequencing, gene expres-
sion profi ling, and single polymorphism nucleotide (SNP) discovery. The protein bio-
chip that explores proteomics encompasses knowledge of the structure, function, and
expression of all proteins in the biochemical or biological contexts of all organisms.
Biochips allow scientists and researchers to observe thousands of biochemical changes
that are occurring in the biochips in parallel, presenting a holistic view of what is actu-
ally taking place during a disease process. Personalized medication to cater for indi-
vidual genetic makeup is then possible.
Although the manufacture and use of DNA arrays have been commercialized with
automatic operation, there are some important challenges for researchers and developers
of the biochips.
Standardization in the biochip industry is an important issue and is one of the key
challenges faced. In the case of genetic diagnostic applications, clinical decisions are
based on the interpretation of gene chips readout, which are dependent on the man-
ufacturer of the biochips. Hence, interfacing between assays and the ancillary instru-
ments is essential for the integration of data into existing equipments. Zipkin recorded
that the formation of the Genetic Analysis Technology Consortium (GATC) aims to
address the concern for standardization. The decision whether or not to join this
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