Gel-Immobilized Microarrays of Nucleic Acids and Proteins: Production and Application for Macromolecular Research

Biochips are small platforms with spatially arrayed macromolecules (or pieces thereof) that allow the collection and analysis of large amounts of biological information. The principle of the technology is based on specific molecular recognition interactions between the arrayed macromolecules and the test molecule of interest. Classical examples of such recognition reactions are the interactions between the two complementary strands of a double-helical DNA molecule, between a single-stranded DNA stretch and the messenger RNA copied from it during transcription, between an antigen and an antibody, and between small ligands and their nucleic acid or protein partners.