ABSTRACT
The field of microfabrication and micromachining of “biochips” has become closely associated with the concept of miniaturized high-density molecular arrays, most often to be used as DNA gene-sensors (or gene chips). As work in this hugely important area has flourished during the last decade, both in the commercial and academic environments, we are reminded that within biology there is a central dogma that describes the flow of information from DNA to RNA to protein, and ultimately to the cell, as the functional unit of the body. In using gene chips in medical biotechnology, whether for the discovery of new medicines or to probe the genetic constitution of an individual (e.g., for the efficacy of a new drug), it is important to remember that the analysis of cells will become an important area of activity, one in which microtechnologies will continue to have an important impact. Indeed, the significance of these methods is shown by the extensive activity in this area in general, and in the context of cell analysis, in the activities of companies including Cellomics, Aurora, and Gene Logic Inc.
