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Since February 2002 the Institute for Clinical Chemistry runs a laboratory for microarray analysis (until now for research only).
Amongst others industrially produced DNA microarrays of the company Affymetrix are used.
They are produced by a photolitographic process thus showing a high density of transcripts per array. For every gene or EST 11 to 20 "Probe pairs", which consist of 25-mer oligonucleotides are represented on the GeneChip.
This system allows fast, simultaneous expression analysis of thousands of genes.
Since June 2006, in addition to expression analysis, SNP analysis with microarrays is offered. Using these arrays it is possible to analyze chromosomal "Copy Number Changes" in the same run, which might be associated to cancer or other diseases.
In close collaboration with eppendorf AG, the technology of Eppendorf Biochip Systems GmbH is used for low density approaches (since March 2007).
Every slide contains two identical microarrays, whereby a high reproducibility is ensured.
The Xmer®-Technologie used by eppendorf, uses 200-400 nucleotide long sense-DNA, which is hybridized on the arrays.
This System offers a sensitive and topic specific expression analysis of genes. Another component of this system enables the parallel analysis of activation profiles of transcription factors in a microarray format (MAPK). Additionally the Silverquant® Detection Technology offers a cost-effective and sensitive analysis of these arrays.
