A fiber-optic DNA biosensor microarray for the analysis of gene expression

A fiber-optic biosensor array is described for the simultaneous analysis of multiple DNA sequences. A bundle of optical fibers was assembled with each fiber carrying a different oligonucleotide probe immobilized on its distal end. Hybridization of fluorescently labeled complementary oligonucleotides to the array was monitored by observing the increase in fluorescence that accompanied binding. The approach enables fast (<10 min) and sensitive (10 nM) detection of multiple DNA sequences simultaneously, with the potential for quantitative hybridization analysis.