Universal RNA reference materials for gene expression

A workshop entitled "Metrology and Standards Needs for Gene Expression Technologies: Universal RNA Standards" was held in March 2003 to define the requirements for standardizing RNA-based molecular assays, specifically microarray and quantitative reverse-transcriptase-PCR technologies. NIST sponsored the workshop, and participants represented government, industry, academia, and clinic. Workshop participants concluded that as a first step, two RNA reference materials could be defined that would help in standardization of gene-expression technologies: an Assay Process Reference Material, and a Universal Array Hybridization Reference Material. The specific characteristics of these two standardized materials were broadly outlined. The Assay Process Material was proposed to be a pool of 96 expressed human sequences of defined composition, cloned in a defined vector and pooled in prescribed ways. The Universal Array Hybridization Material was defined as a pool of 12 "alien" synthetic sequences not expressed in any known genome to be used to control for variability in array hybridization methods. Work is underway at NIST and among members of the gene expression array community to further define these materials and make them available.