MI's unique ability to meet your every array need is fully supported by our engineers. Our engineers have developed all of the motion-control software, printing robotics and microfluidic deposition technologies used at our facility. The MI robotic platforms enable a level of technical plasticity and design accommodation not seen with other contract printers. Our platforms are readily modified to accommodate any desired printing format regardless of unusual spatial specifications, replicate numbers, multi-assay requirements, or custom-sized printing surfaces . MI technologies provide high throughput capability to any project.
The technologies developed at MI span the full spectrum of array production, from early project conception to
manufacturing, final QC and product validation. Proprietary microfluidic deposition capillaries are among the
innovations by MI. Manufactured in a variety of bore sizes and reservoir designs, these unique capillaries deliver a wide
range of volumetric transfers and feature sizes to meet the needs of any probe type.
MI's proprietary printing platforms can achieve the exact requirements for your arrays including allowances for the use of gaskets that permit multiple assays per slide. Specialized microarray handling equipment, such as hybridization chambers or mixers, often require specific boundaries for the printed microarray surface which are readily accommodated by MI's custom manufacturing platforms.
MI's proprietary technology extends beyond initial manufacture of arrays and extends to QC and product validation using our sensitive QC methods. The Veriprobe™ assay developed by MI scientists monitors DNA coupling efficiencies. For protein and other analytes, off-channel fluorophores are used to quantitate probe deposition volumes.
Individual probe samples for spotting onto an array may vary in their ability to effectively bind to the microarray substrate. When these deficiencies go undetected, the variability among samples due to a coupling deficiency may confound data interpretation. MI's Veriprobe microarray QC assay can improve the overall confidence level of the resulting hybridization data by serving to verify the relative amounts of probe sample present in each spot and by identifying spots of marginal value.
In the Veriprobe assay, MI uses a proprietary labeling methodology to attach a fluorescent tag to substrate-bound nucleic acids. This assay is quantitative and provides an accurate means of determining the relative levels of bound probe. An image of the reaction, intensity data, and an overall intensity histogram from a representative slide is provided in the QC report for each lot.
Please complete the Contact MI form so that we can better assess your needs for high quality arrays and discover how MI can accelerate your research efforts.
MI scientific and engineering staff will help you define the parameters that best suit your array requirements. Please complete the Contact MI form; we'll contact you to discuss the specific requirements for your arrays.
MI maintains high levels of spatial precision throughout the printing of every lot to save scanner time and reduce auto-format failures.
| PARAMETER | SPECIFICATION |
|---|---|
| Absolute coordinates of first spot on slide1 | X= ± 0.1 mm, Y= ± 0.1 mm |
| Space between subarrays | Per request, ± 50 um |
| Subarray rotation | 0 ± 0.2 degrees |
| Row spacing within a subarray | Per request, ± 20 um |
| Spot coordinates within a subarray | ± 20 um shift from a perfect grid with (to be specified) pitch in X and Y directions |
| Space between array copies | Per request ± 50 um |