Meeting to explore possible gene expression ...( The National Institute of Standards and...)

Parallel and closely related advances over the last few years in the sequencing of whole genomes and the development of so-called gene microarrays have fueled an explosive growth in data on genes and their functions. Gene microarrays use thousands or tens of thousands of short lengths of single-strand DNA, fixed in a grid about the size of a postage stamp, to rapidly measure gene activity. It's a powerful technology, but one that has evolved rapidly, and in advance of any underlying scientific infrastructure to quantitatively evaluate the quality of individual experimental results.

As a consequence, it has become difficult to reconcile the results of microarray experiments at different labs using different equipment. Lack of a gene expression measurement infrastructure is undermining confidence in microarray-based test results.

To address this problem, NIST is hosting the May 16 meeting to assess industry interest in establishing a Consortium on Gene Expression Metrology. The consortium would develop universal measurement methods to characterize microarray performance, including measures of signal-to-noise ratio, signal-to-background ratio, dynamic range (from minimum to maximum quantifiable amount), and selectivity/specificity.

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Contact: Michael Baum
michael.baum@nist.gov
301-975-2763
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
21-Apr-2005