ABSTRACT
The microarray marketplace has matured. Slide-based gene expression microarrays have become a commodity. As a result, there has been a concomitant decline in the number of manufacturers of array printing equipment for do-it-yourself consumers. This is especially true in the arena of genomic research with the commercial availability of complete genome array offerings by well-established, top-tier companies, principally, Affymetrix, Agilent, and Illumina. There has also been an increase in the use of contract research organizations (CROs) that offer printing services for custom microarrays as well as assay development and testing. Moreover, the inevitable shift toward next generation sequencing (NGS) platforms has commenced. Deep sequencing is reported to be displacing microarray-based sequencing, although array-based comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis platforms continue to be adopted for gene-based diagnostics. While it is evident that the commercialization of “applied genomics” tools is undergoing transition, other microarray-based formats, especially protein microarrays, remain very much in demand for basic research as well as for biomarker discovery and diagnostics. Glycan and other carbohydrate-based microarrays have been adopted for glycomics research.
