Microarray Technology in the Pathogenesis and Management of Autoimmune Disorders

As the sequence of the entire human genome is completed, the paradigm of analyzing a single gene effect in a biological system has shifted to a global systems analysis. This change in perspective can be attributed, in part, to the recognition that complex diseases such as diabetes or other autoimmune disorders do not arise from a single gene defect. Rather, they arise from a complex interaction of genes in a system that changes over the life span of the patients. In the past, researchers had a limited resource for the discovery of new genes important in the etiology of the disease they investigated. They were forced to take a gene-by-gene approach, which only scratched the surface of their biological problem. The sheer magnitude of currently available gene sequences compels researchers to take a more global view of the etiology of disease. Global gene expression analyses at the RNA level offer the first glimpse into the future of organizing and using this type of information. Investigators can simultaneously monitor the RNA levels of a large number of genes, or even the entire genome, in the context of their biological system.