Chemical Compound Microarray

A Chemical compound microarray is a collection of organic chemical compounds spotted on a solid surface, such as glass and plastic. This microarray format is very similar to DNA microarray, Protein microarray and Antibody microarray. In chemical genetics research, they are routinely used for searching proteins that binds with specific chemical compounds, and in general drug discovery research, they are used for searching potential drugs for therapeutic targets.

There are 3 different forms of chemical compound microarrays based on the fabrication method. The first form is to covalently immobilize the organic compounds on the solid surface with diverse linking techniques; this platform is usually called Small Molecule Microarray, which is invented and advanced by Dr. Stuart Schreiber and colleagues,. The second form is to spot and dry organic compounds on the solid surface without immobilization, this platform has a commercial name as Micro Arrayed Compound Screening (µARCS), which is developed by scientists in Abbott Laboratories. The last form is to spot organic compounds in a homogenous solution without immobilization and drying effect, this platform is developed by Dr. Scott Diamond and later commercialized as DiscoveryDot™ technology by Reaction Biology Corporation.