VistaArray technology: An integrated high throughput platform for drug discovery and personalized medicine

Genometrix has developed a proprietary high throughput microarray technolog y platform for drug discovery and development. The VistaArray(SM) microarra y platform is a lower-density microarray format consisting of only a few hu ndred features. This low to medium density array design accommodates up to 250 features per array and utilizes a 96-well format for high throughput sa mple handling. The Genometrix arrays are fabricated using a dedicated capil lary print head and high speed robotics allowing continuous flow printing o f oligonucleotides, antibodies, or other proteins. The continuous flow prin ting strategy allows Genometrix to produce tens of thousands of arrays duri ng a typical print run without the inefficiencies of re-sampling associated with other arraying technologies. This strategy drastically reduces the co st of and time required for array production. This array platform has been validated to offer accurate, low cost single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping, gene expression profiling, and proteomic analysis for large sca le genomic studies. The integrated, VistaLogic (TM) Information System offe rs innovative visualization tools that enable researchers to quickly interp ret and assimilate quantities of data that previously would have been diffi cult, if not impossible, to analyze. In addition, a novel automated clinica l sample archiving system also has been developed for efficient storage and retrieval of biological samples and management of clinical records. This i ntegrated technology platform has been applied to SNP identification and va lidation, lead optimization, pharmacogenomics, and toxicogenomics. Ultimate ly, these genomic technologies will help to enable the realization of perso nalized medicine.