Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
13
SMALL-MOLECULE MICROARRAYS
HONGYAN SUN
13.1
INTRODUCTION
The microarray concept traces its origin to 1991, when Fodor et al. introduced the
high-density peptide microarray in their seminal work [1]. Over the past two decades,
significant development in this field has seen microarray emerging as a powerful and
robust platform for both basic science and biotechnology. As a miniaturized analyti-
cal tool, microarray offers numerous advantages over traditional screening platforms
[2,3]. For example, the miniaturization property of microarray significantly reduces
the need for expensive and precious bioreagents. It also provides a flat screening sur-
face and notably simplifies the tedious washing and incubation process. Automation
and parallelization are two important properties and essential features of microarrays.
Both functions contribute to the superiority of microarrays over traditional screen-
ing platforms. They help to facilitate the rapid screening of thousands of spatially
addressed molecules in a high-throughput manner, reducing the screening time sig-
nificantly. In recent years we have seen tremendous development in microarray tech-
nology. This approach has been applied to screen virtually any type of biomolecule,
including DNAs, small molecules, proteins, live cells, and even tissues [4-8].
Biologically active small molecules are progressively gaining importance as
biomedical research tools. Compared with the traditional genetic approach, small
molecules offer a temporal and reversible route to modulate protein functions [9].
Small molecules can play an important role in elucidating various cellular mecha-
nisms. This is especially notable for small molecules that are capable of selectively
inhibiting or activating a given protein or regulating a specific signaling pathway. In
high-throughput studies involving small molecules, researchers are often confronted
