Active microelectronic array systems have been developed for applications in DNA diagnostics and pharmacogenomic research. These microarray devices allow charged reagent and analyte molecules, including DNA, RNA, oligonucleotide probes, amplicons antibodies, proteins, enzymes, nanostructures, cells, and even semiconductor structures to be moved to or from any of the microscopic test sites on the device surface. A research laboratory system (Molecular Biology Workstation and NanoChipTM) has been designed to provide the end-user with “make your own chip” capabilities. Applications include SNP and STR analysis, infectious disease diagnostics, gene expression analysis, and ultimately on-chip amplification capabilities. Nanogen is also now investigating the use of active electronic devices for the development of novel processes for high throughput drug screening and for screening large combinatorial peptide libraries. Combinatorial peptide libraries are being screened on the Nanogen 10,000 site active CMOS microarray in an attempt to discover unique three-dimensional ligand-binding complexes. This technology may ultimately lead to unique molecular descriptor devices for drug discovery applications.
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