Obstacles to the production of protein microarray cassettes

This paper examines the necessary technologies to be mastered in order to build a practical micro array-based immunoassay cassette and its processing station for protein analysis. The interdependence of surface-chemistry, dye stability and imaging are outlined showning why a treated 100 nm film of Nitrocellulose adhered by an intervening layer to glass offers an efficacious surface for immobilizing an array of protein probes. The properties of a storage surface to support in desiccated form, fluidize and transport additional reagents are outlined and a practical solution proposed. Wet and Dry imaging are compared. The steps and functions expected for an assay platform comprising processing station and biochip cassette are identified. The performance of a successful bench-top automated multiplex immunoassay system is briefly described