AVS 47th International Symposium
    MEMS Thursday Sessions
       Session MM+BI-ThM

Paper MM+BI-ThM9
Silicone Elastomer Microwell Arrays for High Throughput Protein Biochemical Assays

Thursday, October 5, 2000, 11:00 am, Room 309

Session: Bio-MEMS and Microfluidics
Presenter: J.F. Klemic, Yale University
Authors: J.F. Klemic, Yale University
H. Zhu, Yale University
M.A. Reed, Yale University
M. Snyder, Yale University
Correspondent: Click to Email
The identification of the function of large numbers of gene products is an important challenge in post-genomic research. Inexpensive, disposable microwell arrays have been developed for high throughput screening of protein biochemical activity. The microwell arrays are cast in silicone elastomer sheets and placed on top of microscope slides for compatibility with commonly available sample handling and recording equipment. Arrays consist of high density (hundreds per slide), small volume (~300nl) wells which permit high throughput batch processing and simultaneous analysis of many individual samples using only small amounts of protein. Device utility has been demonstrated through the simultaneous analysis of 120 protein kinases from Saccharomyces cerevisiae assayed for phosphorylation of 17 different protein substrates. These microwell arrays, as tested, permit the simultaneous measurement of hundreds of protein samples, however, the use of micromolded silicone elastomer allows array densities to be readily increased by several orders of magnitude. With the further development of appropriate sample handling and measurement techniques, these arrays may be adapted for the simultaneous assay of several thousand to millions of samples.