Electronic

Microarray

Mirrah Hashmi
Roll No: 00000277105
MSBI-3
10-21-2018
 Electronic Microarray
Nanogen, Inc. has developed an electronic micro-array for manipulation, concentration and
hybridization of biomolecules on the chip array.

Fabrication of Electronic Microarray:

 Electronic microarrays consist of an array of electrodes that have been fabricated on
silicon with an array size of 400 electrodes/features.
 Each electrode is 80 μm in diameter.
 Additional layers of silicon dioxide and silicon nitride are deposited to electrically
insulate the areas leaving the central array of 80 μm diameter electrodes.
 Typically, on the surface of the array, a 10 μm thick permeation layer streptavidin is
present as shown in figure 1.
 Electronic microarray is held between cartridges as shown in figure 2 these cartridges
eliminates sample evaporation and prevents sample contamination (Huang, 2006).

Figure 1. Cross-section of a single electrode Figure 2. Cartridge containing the electronic Microarray

Working of Electronic Microarray:

 Most biological molecules have a natural positive or negative charge. When biological
molecules are exposed to an electric field molecule with a positive charge move to
electrodes with a negative potential, and molecules with a negative charge move to
electrodes with a positive potential.
 As nucleic acids are negatively charged a positive current is applied to test
site/electrode/feature to transport them to specific site, or feature.
  The permeation layer on surface of the microarray containing streptavidin allows the
formation of streptavidin-biotin bonds once electronically addressed biotinylated
probes reach their targeted location.
 The positive current is then removed from the active features, and new test sites can be
activated by the application of a positive current.
 Once the probes have been hybridized at discrete features, the microarray is ready for
the application of fluorescently labeled target DNA.
 Typically, target DNA passively hybridizes with the immobilized probes on the
microarray but can also be concentrated electronically (Figure. 3).
 If hybridization occurs between the probe and the target DNA, fluorescent reporters
will be present at the positive test, which will be detected when the electronic
microarray is scanned and analyzed. Overall workflow of electron microarray can be
seen in figure 3.

Figure 3: A positive electric current is applied to test sites, facilitating the active movement and
concentration of negatively charged DNA probes to the activated locations. Once the probes are
attached to all the sites target nucleic acid sequences are introduced. If hybridization occurs between
the targets and probes, secondary probes that are specific for the target and that contain a nonspecific
detector sequence will bind. Secondary fluorescent detector oligonucleotides are used to measure
positive hybridization reactions.
Applications:
1. Multiplex Detection:

It can be achieved since multiple probes, each with a distinct fluorophore can
be sequentially addressed to the same feature.

This platform allows nucleic acids from a single sample to be hybridized to multiple
(but not necessarily all) test sites for the detection of multiple targets, or nucleic acids
from multiple samples can be analyzed on the same microarray cartridge, minimizing
waste.

2. Flexibility in Assay Design:

Furthermore, the NanoChip is a universal blank chip, and the content of the
microarray is specified directly by the user, which allows more flexibility in assay
design and decreases costs associated with microarray manufacturing.

Advantages:
Electronic Microarrays have many advantages over other microarrays for instant the printed in
situ-synthesized microarrays and Bead-Arrays rely on passive transport for the hybridization
of nucleic acids in which the time required for hybridization is 1–2 hours and the concentration
of targets is non-directed; sites cannot be controlled independently.
In contrast, electronic microarrays utilize active hybridization via electric fields to control
nucleic acid transport in which the time required for hybridization is 10-100 seconds and the
concentration of targets can be directed and localized at the array sites; ability to control
individual sites (Huang, 2006).
Moreover, electrically facilitated transport of probes allows:
 The ability to produce reconfigurable electric fields on the microarray surface that
allows the rapid and controlled transport of charged molecules to any test sites
 The ability to carry out site selective DNA or oligonucleotide addressing and
hybridization.
 The ability to significantly increase DNA hybridization rate by concentration of target
at the test sites (Ferrari, 2007)

Limitations:
The density of electronic microarrays is currently limited to 400 spots, this is sufficient for the
majority of diagnostic microbiology applications.
In 2007, Nanogen announced the termination of its microarray business.
Bibliography
Ferrari, M. (2007). BioMEMS and biomedical nanotechnology: volume II: micro/nano technologies for
genomics and proteomics. Springer Science & Business Media.

Huang, Y. H. (2006). Electronic microarray technology and applications in genomics and proteomics.
Spinger, 3-21.