Microarrays analyze gene expression in cells to compare the genes expressed in diseased versus healthy cells. This helps scientists better understand diseases like cancer, allowing doctors to create personalized treatment plans. While microarrays provide extensive genetic data analysis and applications, their use requires intensive labor and expensive equipment. They also produce large amounts of data that can be challenging for scientists to interpret.

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By: Kaitlyn Payne

2. * Microarrays analyze cells to determine if
certain genes are being expressed or not
expressed.
* With being able to tell if certain genes are
being expressed, scientists are able to compare
the genes expressed in a diseased cell, to the
genes expressed in a normal healthy cell to be
able to see which genes that are expressed in a
diseased cell and not in a healthy cell
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3. * Cancer is one of the big diseases microarrays
have been used to help better understand and
treat.
* With microarrays doctors are even able to
create a specific treatment plan for each
patient.
* With microarrays doctors are even able to test
for an elevated expression of a certain gene
which can help in predicting cancer outcomes
and in assigning appropriate treatment.
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4. * The behavior of many genes can be
simultaneously studied
* Very fast. So fast that as many as 150 copies of
an array of 12,000 genes can be printed in a
day
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5. * Intensive labor is required to prepare for the
whole microarray process
* To initially open a facility dedicated to
microarray technology is expensive, along with
buying the machinery required
* Almost too much data for scientists to be able
to analyze is produced
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6. * Microarrays provide extensive range of the
application of genetic diagnosis which can lead
to genetic discrimination
* Microarrays can also be used in prenatal testing
from a chorionic sample and this sample can
tell the mother if the child will be more adept
to have certain diseases, but could also be
used to tell if the child had certain ‘desirable’
traits
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7. * With microarrays, its possible to analyze tens
of thousands of genes at one time which would
generate lots of data. This data could be used
to identify the fingerprints of gene expression
which could then be used to categorize certain
diseases.

8. * With microarray techniques, there’s the
possibility of being able to create a genetic
profile for everyone and this profile could tell
things like a person’s risk for disease, the
affect of certain drugs or antibiotics, the side
affects of certain drugs or antibiotics, and
maybe even personality traits
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