Substrate for bio-microarray and bio-microarray

Abstract

For the purpose of improving the accuracy of a variety analyses using a bio-microarray, it is a main object of the invention to provide a bio-microarray capable of producing relatively high signal intensity from a fluorescent molecule and capable of having improved quantification performance and to provide a substrate for bio-microarray. In order to achieve the object, the invention provides a substrate for bio-microarray characterized by having a reflection-suppressing function.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The invention relates to a bio-microarray having probe biomolecules such as DNA, peptide, protein, polysaccharide, cell, and tissue, which are arranged in an array, and also relates to a substrate for bio-microarray. [0003] 2. Description of the Related Art [0004] In recent years, the target of development of bio-microarrays (also referred to as biochips) has been expanded and thus includes not only DNA microarrays, which have been used in genome analysis, but also microarrays that load any other biomolecules such as peptide, protein, polysaccharide, cell, and tissue. [0005] The bio-microarray analysis method generally includes the processes of introducing a fluorescent molecule as a label into a sample and analyzing light emission from the fluorescent molecule, because such a process is appreciated as having a high sensitivity and a variety of available labels. Examples of the analytical apparatus according to this...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008] For the purpose of improving the accuracy of a variety of bio-microarray analyses, it is a main object of the invention to provide a bio-microarray capable of producing relatively high signal intensity from a fluorescent molecule and capable of having improved quantification performance and to provide a substrate for bio-microarray.

[0009] The invention provides a substrate for bio-microarray characterized by having a reflection-suppressing function. The inventive substrate for bio-microarray has the function of suppressing reflection and thus can increase the analysis accuracy through a relative increase in the signal intensity of the fluorescent molecule by the suppression of the reflection of the excitation light.

[0010] In the invention, at least one of an anti-reflection layer and a light-absorbing layer is preferably formed on the surface of the substrate so as to produce the reflection-suppressing function. The anti-reflection layer can suppress the reflection by increasing the transmittance of the excitation light, or the light-absorbing layer can suppress the reflection by absorbing the excitation light. The reflection-suppressing function can easily be given to the microarray substrate by the formation of the anti-reflection layer or the light-absorbing layer.

Problems solved by technology

In particular, the reflection of excitation light is a remarkable cause of the reduction in accuracy that can come from the substrate.

On the other hand, an increase in the detected signal intensity requires sufficient absorption of the excitation light into the label of the fluorescent molecule, and therefore, in some cases, suppression of the reflection of the excitation light can reduce the analysis accuracy depending on the intensity of the excitation light.

Specifically, however, substrates produced with no optical processing and substrates having the function of increasing the reflection are only commercially available now.

In some cases, such substrates cannot provide sufficient analytical accuracy, depending on the intensity of the excitation light.

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