The Widely Used Diagnostics "DNA Microarray"-A Review

Abstract

Problem statement: DNA microarray technique is one of the latest advances in the field of molecular biology and medicine. It is a multiplex technique used in combination of bioinformatics and statistical data analysis. Since, 1995, the technique offers the possibility of conducting tens or hundreds of thousands of simultaneous hybridizations. Approach: This increased experimental efficiency permits high throughput and whole genome expression profiling of pathogens and hosts. Results: Microarray technologies are rapidly advancing with numerous applications in gene expression, genotyping, pharmaco-genomics, proteomics and cell biology, in infectious diseases recognizing the causative agent, molecular typing, in studying the interactions between causative agents and host cells, cancer biology, genetics, determining the presence of a pathogen in food samples, to characterize microbial isolates, identifying the presence of virulence factors or microbial resistance genes, to detect microbial mutations associated with resistance to antiretroviral drugs, simultaneously detect and discriminate several viruses, to study the contaminants in cultures, such as mycoplasma, yeasts, fungi, exogenous and endogenous viruses and prions from both animal and human origin so and so forth. Conclusion: This article reviewed the applicability of this technique elaborately in some of the important areas of biological sciences.