ArrayExplorer, a program in Visual Basic for robust and accurate filter cDNA array analysis

Determining the dynamics in the global regulation of gene expression holds the promise of bringing a better understanding of the processes that govern physiological cell growth regulation and its disruption during the development of disease. The advent for cDNA arrays has created the possibility for the parallel analysis of expression of thousands of genes in a given cell population, simultaneously. The level of expression of a given set of genes within the studied tissue corresponds to the intensity of a labeled cDNA probe synthesized from the studied tissue RNA and bound specifically to the cDNAs of the genes spotted on the array. The accurate extraction of gene expression intensity values is essential for further data analysis and the interpretation of the obtained results. Here, we describe a new array image-processing software developed in Microsoft Visual Basic, the ArrayExplorer, which provides a user-friendly, multiple-window interface and a number of automatic and manual features that facilitate a reliable, robust, and accurate extraction of gene intensity values from filter-array images.