Replication of a DNA microarray.

A mechanical method for efficient replication of DNA microarrays is described. The approach consists of three steps. First, a master DNA microarray consisting of single-stranded DNA elements is exposed to a solution containing the biotin-functionalized complement of each array element. Following hybridization, a replica surface modified with streptavidin is brought into contact with the master. This results in linking of the biotin-functionalized complement with the replica surface. Next, the replica is separated from the master, and the complementary strands are transferred to the replica surface. The resulting complementary DNA microarray contains position-coded sequences that mirror the information contained on the master DNA microarray. Multiple replicas can be prepared from a single master, the replicas efficiently hybridize only their complement, and DNA not labeled with biotin is not transferred to the replica surface.