how-to-find-us

.


					Functional Genome Analysis (B070) Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Im Neuenheimer Feld 580 D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany.

..

Archive

Microarray Technologies	Transcriptional Profiling	Tumour Analyses	Genome Mapping & Sequencing		.. Homepage
- Technical advances in production	- yeast	- RDA-based analyses	- directed gap closure (RDA)
- MolTools project	- Drosophila		- microbial genomes
	- microbial
..	..	..	..	.
Proteomics - antibody microarrays	Epigenetics

...

.

Very early experiment on the production of oligonucleotide microarrays by light-directed in situ synthesis. A pattern resembling letters was repeatedly projected onto a glass surface, triggering oligomer synthesis. Subsequenly a complementary, fluorescently labelled oligonucleotide was hybridised to this chip, producing the pattern shown above.

FINISHED PROJECT:
Technical advancements in the production of high-quality DNA-microarrays

Different methods for the creation of DNA-microarrays are being used, but the basic idea on how to perform analyses remains the same: interaction - mostly hybridisation of a nucleic acid - of an unknown sample with an ordered array of immobilised DNA sensor molecules of known sequence produces a specific pattern, which can be analysed or compared to a given standard. The sensor molecules consist either of synthetic oligomer or longer, enzymatically generated DNA, mostly PCR-products made from genomic DNA or cDNA clones. Hybridisation techniques, on their own or in combination with enzymatic reactions, open up many avenues of genetic analyses.
..
Very many aspects that influence the production of DNA-microarrays were investigated. Besides normal synthesis procedures, also the photo-controlled in situ synthesis process has been improved dramatically in terms of yield. In addition, methods for the inversion of the oligonucleotides‘ synthesis direction were developed and the relevant monomers synthesised, permitting on-chip polymerase reactions, for example.
..

Our earlier work at technical aspects of DNA-microarray production can be sub-divided into the following areas:

	- Manufacturing DNA-microarrays from unpurified PCR-products
	- Quantitative photo-controlled synthesis of oligonucleotide microarrays
	- Photo-controlled production of microarrays for on-chip polymerase reactions

FINISHED PROJECT:
..
MolTools
Advanced molecular tools for array-based analyses of genomes, transcriptomes, proteomes and cells.

The MolTools consortium brought together 12 leading European academic groups, five biotech SMEs and one

US

laboratory working in the area of postgenomic technology development. The partners have pioneered a series of important molecular techniques and work at the establishment of next-generation tools for molecular analysis. Molecular technologies are in a very rapid state of development, the scope for improvement is extreme, and methods are clearly rate limiting for the progress of biology and biotechnology generally. This project represented an important initiative to integrate leading European scientists active in an area of technology development which is central to modern biology and biotechnology.

Scientific aims were the establishment of genome analysis technologies set to monitor extensive molecular repertoires, and with the capacity to investigate even single molecules. To this end, powerful array-based research tools were developed to examine DNA, RNA and proteins.

We were working on projects as part of WP2 (DNA analysis), WP3 (transcript profiling) and WP4 (protein analysis). Techniques such as the utilisation of L-DNA, the mirror-image form of the naturally occurring D-conformation of DNA. One project was the universal microarray as described above. Highly sensitive transcript profiling and the establishment of protocols and procedures for the production and use of protein and particularly antibody microarrays were the focus in the respective workpackage.

MolTools participants:

list of MolTools workpackages

Overall coordination rested with Ulf Landegren at Uppsala University. Six interrelated analytical nodes or workpackages (WPs) had been established. Each WP involved several of the partners, most of whom again participating in several WPs.

WP1/
WP2: coordinator Ivo Gut
..
WP3: coordinator Hans Lehrach
..
WP4: coordinator Jörg Hoheisel
..
WP5: coordinator Jorn Koch
..
WP6: coordinator Olli Kallioniemi

Overview

..
DKFZ Homepage