[Preparation and application of gel chip]

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials science
• Surface chemistry
• Microarray technology

Context:

• Traditional 2D microarrays face limitations in capacity and efficiency.
• Immobilization of biomolecules on surfaces is crucial for diagnostic tools.
• Polyacrylamide gel offers a versatile matrix for covalent immobilization.

Purpose:

• To develop and evaluate a novel three-dimensional gel film-coated chip for enhanced microarray fabrication.
• To compare the performance of 3D gel film-coated chips with traditional 2D glass chips.
• To demonstrate the utility of these chips in both oligonucleotide and protein microarray applications.

Summary:

• A 3D gel film-coated chip was fabricated by immobilizing polyacrylamide gel on glass, activated with glutaraldehyde for covalent attachment of amino-containing molecules.
• Oligonucleotides and monoclonal antibodies (cytokines IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, ANG, I-309, VEGF) were successfully immobilized.
• The 3D chips demonstrated over 100 times higher capacity for oligonucleotide immobilization, reduced background noise, and shorter hybridization times compared to 2D chips.
• Protein microarrays using these chips detected higher expression levels of IL-4, IL-5, I-309, and VEGF in breast cancer patients' serum, suggesting potential for clinical diagnosis.

Impact:

• Enables significantly higher biomolecule immobilization capacity on microarrays.
• Reduces background noise and hybridization time, improving assay efficiency.
• Offers a versatile platform for fabricating both oligonucleotide and protein microarrays.
• Shows potential for clinical diagnosis of diseases like breast cancer through protein expression profiling.