Sensitivity. Better content. Lower cost.

To create an information-rich testing platform at low cost, Great Basin has created DNA macroarrays on modified silicon chips.  Using well-understood and scalable semiconductor processing we can produce chips on very large scale at low material and processing costs.

To these silicon chips we then apply relatively large DNA probe features to create arrays containing up to 64 test answers. These arrays produce an unambiguous signal that is visible to the naked eye when a target DNA of interest is present. By utilizing visibly detectable signal we can create a low cost imaging system.  Additionally, this approach permits us to add fluorphores to each probe as a tool in production, which permits non-destructive QC of every feature, increases yield, and provides highly reliable detection.

To create the visible signal, we hybridize biotin-labeled DNA targets to the probes on the array which are detected in an ELISA type of format by reacting each bound target with anti-biotin/HRP conjugates and reacting subsequently bound conjugates with a precipitable TMB substrate.  This approach to signal generation increases the sensitivity of detection while utilizing low cost and stable reagents. We have modified the silicon chips to provide for a surface chemistry that is stable, robust, and has low background binding.  This permits us to unambiguously discriminate between single base changes in DNA sequences.