Novel developments for improved detection of specific mRNAs by DNA chips.

Microarrays have revolutionized gene expression analysis as they allow for highly parallel monitoring of mRNA levels of thousands of genes in a single experiment. Since their introduction some 15 years ago, substantial progress has been achieved with regard to, e.g., faster or more sensitive analyses. In this review, interesting new approaches for a more sensitive detection of specific mRNAs will be highlighted. Particularly, the potential of electrical DNA chip formats that allow for faster mRNA analyses will be discussed.