We are developing a DNA microarray synthesizer capable of synthesizing DNA oligonucleotides in situ on two-dimensional substrates.
Surface tension constrains active chemistry to predefined locations.
We plan to extend the method to include covalent immobilization of presynthesized nucleic acids. Preliminary results from experiments with a prototype synthesizer show successful in situ synthesis of 20mer homopolymers, 20mer mixed sequence oligonucleotides and a 40mer-oligonucleotide sequence. This was confirmed by capillary electrophoresis of synthesized products and by hybridizing with complementary oligonucleotides and PCR products. We have synthesized 400 and 1600 feature arrays on 16 cm2 surfaces. This DNA microarray technology is unique in its ability to support array design flexibility, manufacturing economy and incorporation of customized nucleotide chemistries.