While every living cell in an organism has a complete copy of that organism’s DNA (or genome), not all DNA is utilized or transcribed equally. The transcription of DNA into RNA is dependent on many factors including development, tissue type and environmental stimuli.

The Gene Expression Analysis group focuses on detecting the specific pieces of DNA that are transcribed into RNA. By using various types of microarray analysis platforms, researchers can monitor the transcription of thousands of genes simultaneously. Our primary microarray platform is the GeneChip system provided by Affymetrix.

The large volumes of data generated by these types of experiments are managed and analyzed by various computer software programs, again in collaboration with VBI CCF. Once gene expression data has been compiled, we are further able to assist with the validation of this data by performing real-time PCR to accurately measure the amount of RNA present. The combination of microarray data and Real-Time qPCR validation provides researchers with a strong list of candidate genes for further evaluation in their particular system.

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