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Updated: Aug 16, 2026
High Throughput MicroRNA Profiling: Optimized Multiplex qRT-PCR at Nanoliter Scale on the Fluidigm Dynamic ArrayTM IFCs
Published on: August 3, 2011
High-throughput microarray technologies: from genomics to clinics
1Institute for Pathology, University of Basel, Switzerland. lbubendo@bluewin.ch
Background:
Despite continuous research efforts in the past decades, there are still cancers where no effective treatment is available, such as advanced kidney cancer or hormone-refractory prostate cancer. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of cancer development and progression is the basis for the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Current developments in genomics have a dramatic impact on the whole field of research. The sequence of the entire human genome will soon be fully sequenced and provide the 'book of life' as a basis for the understanding of human disease.
Methods And Results:
New technologies have emerged to translate the human genome sequence into gene function and improved diagnostics or treatment modalities. New technologies such as microarrays are not only important for fundamental research, but will also be useful for diagnostic, prognostic or therapeutic purposes in individual patients. DNA microarrays make it possible to analyze the mRNA expression of thousands of genes simultaneously. The resulting comprehensive gene expression surveys lead to the identification of new genes and pathways with importance in cancer development and progression, or as targets for new therapies. The validation and prioritization of genes emerging from genome screening analyses in large series of clinical tumors has become a new bottleneck in research. Therefore, we have recently developed the tissue microarray (TMA) technology to efficiently test the clinical relevance of candidate genes. TMAs are microscope slides containing samples from hundreds of individual tumor specimens. They can be used for large-scale, massively parallel in situ analysis of genetic alterations on a DNA, RNA and protein level using in situ hybridization or immunohistochemistry on hundreds of tumor specimens at a time. Microarray technologies are already increasingly being used in urologic research, and will also have a strong impact on clinical urology.
Conclusions:
DNA microarrays and TMAs provide a powerful approach to identify large numbers of new candidate genes, and rapidly validate their clinical impact in large series of human tumors. These technologies will soon lead to a better molecular understanding of urologic tumors, and accelerate the identification of new prognostic markers or therapeutic targets.
Insights
New microarray technologies enable the simultaneous analysis of thousands of genes, accelerating the discovery and validation of novel cancer targets. These advancements promise to improve diagnostics and treatments for urologic tumors.
Area of Science:
- Genomics
- Molecular Biology
- Oncology
Background:
- Effective treatments for advanced cancers like kidney and prostate cancer remain limited.
- Understanding cancer's molecular mechanisms is crucial for developing new diagnostics and therapies.
- Genomic advancements, including human genome sequencing, provide a foundation for disease research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and highlight the utility of DNA microarrays and tissue microarrays (TMAs) in cancer research.
- To demonstrate how these technologies can accelerate the identification and validation of new diagnostic and therapeutic targets in urologic tumors.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing DNA microarrays for simultaneous analysis of thousands of gene mRNA expressions.
- Developing and employing tissue microarrays (TMAs) for high-throughput in situ analysis of genetic alterations (DNA, RNA, protein) in numerous tumor specimens.
- Applying in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry on TMAs for large-scale validation.
Main Results:
- DNA microarrays facilitate comprehensive gene expression surveys, identifying novel genes and pathways in cancer development.
- Tissue microarrays (TMAs) enable efficient validation of candidate genes' clinical relevance across large tumor series.
- These technologies allow for massively parallel analysis on DNA, RNA, and protein levels.
Conclusions:
- DNA microarrays and TMAs offer a powerful combined approach for discovering and validating cancer-related genes.
- These technologies are poised to significantly advance the molecular understanding of urologic tumors.
- The findings will accelerate the identification of new prognostic markers and therapeutic targets for urologic cancers.
