Improved reproducibility of reverse-phase protein microarrays using array microenvironment normalization.

We introduce a novel experimental methodology for the reverse-phase protein microarray platform which reduces the typical measurement CV as much as 70%. The methodology, referred to as array microenvironment normalization, increases the statistical power of the platform. In the experiment, it enabled the detection of a 1.1-fold shift in prostate specific antigen concentration using approximately six technical replicates rather than the 37 replicates previously required. The improved reproducibility and statistical power should facilitate clinical implementation of the platform.