Equipment
The Microarray Core Facility is equipped by the latest Affymetrix GeneChip instruments including GeneChip 640 Hybridization Oven, GeneChip 450 Fluidics Station and GeneChip 3000 7G Scanner. The facility has also Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer, NanoDrop ND-1000 Spectrophotometer and MJ Research PTC 100 Thermal Cycler.
The GeneChip 640 Hybridization Oven is capable of hybridizing up to 64 chips at a time. The chips rotate in a temperature controlled environment to ensure thorough and consistent hybridization across the entire array.
The GeneChip 450 Fluidics Station consists of four independent wash blocks; each of them is controlled and monitored with conductivity sensors. This unit accurately checks the fluid levels in the chips and automates all washing and staining steps of hybridized chips.
The GeneChip 3000 7G Scanner was specifically designed to accommodate future technological improvements as GeneChip technology continues to advance. The scanner features a solid-state green laser and incorporates many sophisticated technology enhancements including auto-focus algorithm, automatic arc correction, auto-set laser power, or ultra-low noise digital converter. The resolution of the laser beam can approach down to 0.51 µm and is automatically determined by chip type (features on current GeneChips are set at 5-11 µm). The scanner and the fluidics station are operated by Dell Workstation with GeneChip Operating Software (GCOS).
The Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer uses the technology of capillary electrophoresis to analyze nucleic acids. It measures fluorescence in 16 capillaries in parallel on a small chips and can analyze up to 12 samples simultaneously. The instument is used to assess the quality of RNA and DNA samples prior to subjecting them to microarray analysis.
The NanoDrop ND-1000 Spectrophotometer uses only 1 µl of sample and can measure the absorbance in a full-spectrum (220-750 nm wavelength). The spectrophotometer can analyze RNA samples with concentration ranging from 10 to 3000 ng/µl.
