ABSTRACT
References .....................................................................................................................................437
Assay multiplexing is a means to provide the maximum amount of information about a sample
while conserving reagents, conserving sample, and increasing the speed of analysis. Microarray
technology is assay multiplexing on steroids. Simply put, microarrays are a logical presentation of
biological molecules laid out on a solid planar platform, generally a glass slide [1]. The resulting
presentation is referred to as an array or as it is sometimes called a chip. In this format, individual
molecules are separated from one another, allowing the user to interrogate each molecule inde-
pendently but simultaneously. As a result, it is possible to simultaneously obtain relational
information about hundreds and thousands of different events. No other technique provides such a
data rich environment in a single test. The types of molecules that may be presented or arrayed are
discussed in more detail below include DNA oligonucleotides, cDNAs, peptides, or sugar
molecules, although each array contains multiples of only one type of molecule.
