Microarray-based DNA profiling to study genomic aberrations

High throughput microarrays were initially developed to analyse the expression of many RNA transcripts in parallel. The technology has since been adapted to a variety of applications, one of which is the analysis of the genome to study DNA dosage and sequence content. Advances in microarray fabrication and completion of large-scale genome sequencing projects have enabled the rapid development of affordable array-based methods for high-resolution genome-wide assessment of DNA alterations. This review will describe the evolution of microarray assays to study genomic aberrations and will highlight how they have enabled researchers to gain insight into the biology of human diseases and how they will benefit research in the future. (c) 2008 IUBMB.