Fluorescence data analysis on gel-based biochips.

A series of biochip readers developed for gel-based biochips includes three imaging models and a novel nonimaging biochip scanner. The imaging readers, ranging from a research-grade versatile reader to a simple portable one, use wide-field objectives and 12-bit digital large-coupled device cameras for parallel addressing of multiple array elements. This feature is valuable for monitoring the kinetics of sample interaction with immobilized probes. Depending on the model and the label used, the sensitivity of these readers approaches 0.3 amol of a labeled sample per gel element. In the selective scanner, both the spot size of the excitation laser beam and the detector field of view match the size of the biochip array elements so that the whole row of the array can be read in a single scan. The portable version reads 50-mm long, 150-element, one-dimensional arrays in 5 s. With a dynamic range of 4000:1, a sensitivity of 1-5 amol of a labeled sample per gel element, and a data format facilitating online processing, the scanner is an attractive, inexpensive solution for biomedical diagnostics. Fluorophores for sample labeling were compared experimentally in terms of detection sensitivity, influence on duplex stability, and suitability for multilabel analysis and thermodynamic studies. Texas Red and tetracarboxyphenylporphyn proved to be the best choice for two-wavelength analysis using the imaging readers.