ABSTRACT

Modern day genetics is typified by sequencing projects [13, 77, 83, 102, 138, 144, 223]. Although not as laudable as that of the human genome project itself [108], the sequence projects still represent a significant jump in the human quest for knowledge. These projects also represent the cornerstones of modern biologically orientated knowledge through which the complexities of life take shape. The continued advancements in the illumination of these biological processes will have profound consequences on the future of humanity, improved health care and greater quality of life through better drug creation for example. However, the underlying knowledge required for these significant biological

advancements did not suddenly coalesce into the general consciousness. It has taken many years for eminent scientists of their day to slowly tease the fundamental genetics concepts and details out from the darkness. In hindsight, concepts like trait inheritance which are passed on from parent to child could appear to be quite obvious, but at the time could well have caused a similar stir with the establishment as that of Galileo’s∗ work. Inheritance is a fundamental concept of life and integral to the functioning of evolutionary processes. As the mechanisms of inheritance are understood in greater detail, the techniques available to exploit inheritance behavior will also improve. Microarrays represent the latest research tools that try to exploit the behav-

ioral characteristics of the inheritance mechanisms on a large scale. Generally, microarrays are small glass, silicon or nylon membrane slides that give biologists the capability to simultaneously analyze many thousands of genes. Due to the massive shift in process capability, microarray systems will have a dramatic effect on the future of pharmacological based studies. In order to give the reader a clear understanding of microarray technology

and the biology that is relied upon for the process to be successful, this chap-

An

ter focuses on providing the background for the study. In Section 2.2, a brief review of genetics history is offered such that the underlying concepts and techniques microarrays rely upon for their functionality are understood. Section 2.3 provides a brief summary of microarray technology itself which should give the reader an appreciation of the challenges involved in this interesting computer vision domain. The section introduces a typical microarray usage scenario with the key phases of the microarray process highlighted. After the general discussion of microarray processes, the review then details the three main phases involved in the analysis stage in Section 2.4. Section 2.5 briefly discusses a framework that has been proposed as a holistic solution to the issues as discussed in Sections 2.3-2.4. A summary of the chapter is presented in Section 2.6.