Printing Technologies and Microarray Manufacturing Techniques: Making the Perfect Microarray

Blotting Pattern Optimization of Contact-Based Microarray Spotting

“…The procedure of the second part is as follows: (1) once the first subarray (row 1 column 1) is blotted ( Figure 5A), a second set (row 2 column 1) is blotted, giving a space of PTP spacing along the y axis between the initial bottom-left pin position of the previous subarray (row 1 column 1) to the initial upper-left pin position of the present subarray (row 2 column 1) as shown in Figure 6; (2) Step 1 in part two is repeated until the array exceeds the y distance of the blotting slide; (3) the pins then proceed to the next column to spot, giving a space of PTP spacing along the x axis between the initial upper-right pin position of the first subarray (row 1 column 1) to the initial upper-left pin position of the present subarray (row 1 column 2) as shown in Figure 6; and (4) Steps 1e3 of part two are repeated until the array exceeds the x distance of the blotting slide. Therefore, the number of subarrays on a blotting slide depends on the size of the blotting slide, pin-array format, and the type of source microtitre plate, which determines PTP spacing.…”

“…Figure 1 shows conceptually the complete four-step process of microarray analysis. 2 Overall quality of microarray analysis depends on the quality of each of these four steps. This paper is focused on improving blotting procedure, which is part of pin-based printing process for microarray fabrication.…”

Bio-Microarray Fabrication Techniques—A Review

“…It has been shown that as substrate surfaces are more hydrophilic, spot size increases by nearly 50% and spot geometry transitions from square to round. 50 The increase in spot size is also proportional to the log of viscosity of the printing solution. 50 During spot deposition, the tapping force can cause the pin tip to deform; thus, the choice of pin materials is important.…”

“…50 The increase in spot size is also proportional to the log of viscosity of the printing solution. 50 During spot deposition, the tapping force can cause the pin tip to deform; thus, the choice of pin materials is important. Split pins are more prone to deformation than solid pins due to the tip structure.…”

“…Although the mechanical strength of silicon is useful in resisting deformation, these pins occasionally cause fractures in substrate coating, yielding undesirable, doughnut-shaped spots. 50 Furthermore, pin clogging, pin sliding (i.e., movement in the horizontal direction) and the need for preprinting are problematic for pins formed from silicon and metal alike. For these reasons, micromachined silicon pin technology has not yet been widely adopted.…”