Biochip

As a biochip or microarray, a carrier material is referred to, on which a large number of biological or biochemical evidence or tests in confined, usually only fingernail great, room are located. It is a collective term for a variety of different test methods and technical procedures. The standard in 2006 biochip types are not based on semiconductors, which is why biochips do not generally integrated circuits ( "chips" ) are.

Forms of biochips

As carrier material is used, among other specially coated plastic or coated glass, fixed on it with the help of machines, often only a few micrometers wide tests ( immobilized) are. From the looks especially the glass-based biochips are similar to slides microscopy.

Frequently biochips are divided according to the substances that are determined in the test: If the DNA chip DNA and RNA fragments are detected in protein chips to certain proteins - often with the help of antibodies - recognized.

In semiconductors based biochips are, 10 years after the breakthrough of other methods are still in the research stage. Because in comparison to DNA chips or protein chips, which have miniaturized only proven method before their time, semiconductor biochips require new procedures which have to be intensively explored. The advantage of the semiconductor technology is that the electronics can be integrated for the signal gain and the signal processing in the chip. Additional steps with expensive additional equipment, such as fluorescence scanners with optical detection methods are eliminated.

Term extension

Sometimes the term biochip is on the distribution and influence of the same extended by the detection of biochemical substances. Such biochip could perceive the environment Biosensors and then cause certain reactions in the body or an industrial plant built by algorithms. Implanted into a human would create a cyborg.

History

The technology of biochips has only emerged in the 1990s. Because of the high number of tests per unit time, the relatively small sample size and the good automation however, it has quickly taken hold as an important component in the research in the fields of pharmacy, medicine, biochemistry, genetics and microbiology.

Before that were used on gels based electrophoretic methods or chromatographic methods in these fields of research for the same task, which were time-consuming to much.