Molecular diagnosis and prognosis with DNA microarrays

Microarray analysis makes it possible to determine thousands of gene expression values simultaneously. Changes in gene expression, as a response to diseases, can be detected allowing a better understanding and differentiation of diseases at a molecular level. By comparing different kinds of tissue, for example healthy tissue and cancer tissue, the microarray analysis indicates induced gene activity, repressed gene activity or when there is no change in the gene activity level. Fundamental patterns in gene expression are extracted by several clustering and machine learning algorithms. Certain kinds of cancer can be divided into subtypes, with different clinical outcomes, by their specific gene expression patterns. This enables a better diagnosis and tailoring of individual patient treatments.