Microarray Solutions newsletter #2

Microarray Solutions
The Nexterion® Newsletter Edition # 2 / September 2006

ARRAY BASED COMPARATIVE GENOMIC
HYBRIDIZATION – CURRENTLY THE HOTTEST TOPIC
IN MICROARRAYING
“Microarray Solutions” reports on the increasing popularity of array-CGH in the microarray
community, and highlights how some of the most important facilities in North America
are using Nexterion® slides for this application.
…read more on pages 4 and 5

Also featured this month...

page 3 INTERVIEW WITH JAMI LOMAX
New Sales Manager for East Coast North America & Technical
Support Specialist for North America

page 6 NEW NEXTERION® LOW EVAPORATION BUFFER
How the Nexterion® LEB Kit can solve the problem of source plate evapora-
tion during extended print runs

page 7 TECHNICAL SUPPORT IN FOCUS
How SCHOTT technical support assisted The Institute for Genomic Research
in the use of the LEB Kit with Nexterion® Slide E

page 8 LATEST NEWS FROM SCHOTT
Including ISO 9001 certification for the SCHOTT Microarray Solutions unit,
new surface chemistries for the HiSens range of Slides, and the Nexterion®
Web shop

Microarray Solutions
SCHOTT North America Inc.
5530 Shepherdsville Road
Louisville, KY 40228
USA
Phone: +1- 502-657-4417
Fax: +1- 502-966-4976
E-Mail: coatedsubstrate@us.schott.com
www.us.schott.com/nexterion

Microarray Solutions page 2

General Manager Talk

Dear Reader,

Welcome to the second edition of “Microarray Solutions”, the newsletter from SCHOTT.
The response from readers around the world to the first edition of the newsletter was
extremely positive, and I would like to thank all readers who provided us with feedback.

We are pleased to welcome a new member to the SCHOTT Microarray Solutions team
in the U.S., Jami Lomax (see interview on Page 3). Jami joined our company in June
and will be the Sales Manager covering the Eastern region of North America. She will
also assume the role of Technical Support Specialist for North America. Jami will no
doubt be in contact with our North American customers very soon, and she will be
supported in her Technical Support role by Dr. Rajendra Redkar from our R&D site in
Duryea, PA. Both Jami and Raj will continue to provide the first class technical support
that SCHOTT is known for in the microarray community. They will also both feature
prominently alongside our R&D Director, Dr. Ruediger Dietrich, in the popular Techni-
cal Support in Focus section of the newsletter (see Page 7).

In Asia, SCHOTT has established an extensive distribution network to offer Nexterion®
microarray products into this rapidly growing market. SCHOTT already had a strong
relationship with several key microarray facilities in Asia, but in recent months we have
received an increasing number of enquiries from the Far East. To meet these requests,
SCHOTT will be making full use of its international network of sales offices, as well as
working in partnership with experienced third party companies who distribute life sci-
ence products in the Far East. Further details on the new sales infrastructure for
SCHOTT in Asia will be announced very soon.

This edition of the “Microarray Solutions” features an article on Array CGH, an increas-
Dr. Lutz Wehmeier ingly popular application. The article gives an overview of this exciting application from
General Manager our perspective, and that of some of our customers. It also demonstrates how a variety
Nexterion – Microarray Solutions of surface chemistries offered by SCHOTT Microarray Solutions have been success-
fully utilized for Array CGH. We also include a very interesting article on the new Nex-
terion® Low Evaporation Buffer (LEB) kit that was recently launched by SCHOTT. The
feedback we have had so far on this product from customers has been excellent, and
our article on TIGR is a prime example of how the LEB Kit can be used to resolve a
very common problem encountered by microarray users.

I hope you enjoy this edition of Microarray Solutions, and thank you for choosing
SCHOTT as your preferred microarray substrate supplier.

Regards,
Lutz Wehmeier


SCHOTT Profile – Jami Lomax East Coast Sales Manager and Technical
Support North America
MS: How long have you worked for SCHOTT? And where did you work prior to
SCHOTT?
JL: I joined SCHOTT as Sales and Support Manager in early June this year. Prior to
SCHOTT I worked with Spectrumedix LLC as an account manager and applications
support consultant. I was previously a research technician for SCHOTT Nexterion R&D
in Duryea, PA where I was involved in the development of the most of the current
slides in our product portfolio.
“Microarray Solutions” MS: What key skills are required to do your job?
catches up with the most JL: I think one of the key skills necessary to be a sales manager and technical support
recent addition to the consultant is organization, patience, and time management! Most importantly, how-
SCHOTT Microarray Solu- ever, is the ability to quickly identify the needs of customers and be able to communi-
tions team. cate with them clearly and concisely.
MS: What do you do in technical support?
JL: As technical support manager for North America, I help to troubleshoot any prob-
lems customers have working with our products and also offer advice and protocol
recommendations to customers prior to their slide evaluations. This can be done via e-
mail or over the phone, but I am also able to go on-site to help work through protocols
and provide tips on how to get the most from Nexterion® products. In my previous role
working in R&D at SCHOTT, I played a key part in the development of several of the
Nexterion® products, including protocol optimization, so I feel very comfortable offering
advice to customers based on first-hand experience with the products.
MS: Can you describe your typical work day?
JL: The nice thing about this job is that every day offers new challenges and no two
days are ever the same! On the sales side, I spend a lot of time travelling to visit cus-
tomers throughout my territory, talking to new potential customers and servicing exist-
ing customers. For technical support, a question from customers can obviously arrive
at any time and usually requires an immediate response, usually involving a telephone
conversation with the customer.
MS: How do you respond to customer queries?
JL: My response to customer queries usually depends on the type of customer and the
Technical Support contacts: nature of the problem. The more basic questions can easily be addressed by either e-
mail or telephone. Other queries require a more detailed response. For example, we
North America usually offer customers the opportunity to discuss the SCHOTT products and protocols
Contact: Jami Lomax in detail prior to their slide evaluation via a conference call. Or for customers who are
E-mail: jami.lomax@us.schott.com experiencing significant problems getting a product to work for them, I may even spend
some time in the lab with them to offer the best advice possible.
Europe, Asia, Rest of the World MS: What are the most important aspects of technical support?
Contact: Dr. Ruediger Dietrich JL: In my opinion, and fortunately that of SCHOTT, technical support is one of the
E-mail: ruediger.dietrich@schott.com most valuable things a company can offer, particularly with regards to microarrays
where there are so many variables that can ultimately have an effect on results. We
pride ourselves on responding to customer problems as quickly as possible to minimize
down time. SCHOTT has developed an excellent reputation for providing first-class
customer support, and I will strive to maintain this.
MS: What part of the job do you find most satisfying?
JL: I think the most satisfying aspect is undoubtedly resolving a particularly problem-
atic customer query and feeling the sense of relief and gratitude from the customer.
Many people I deal with are under extreme pressure to deliver results and being able
to support them and contribute in some way to their success is a nice aspect of the job,
particularly when you see how passionate and dedicated they are to their research.
MS: What's special about Nexterion®'s technical support?
JL: When interviewed for the position at SCHOTT, one of the major things that struck
me was SCHOTT’s commitment to technical support. Dr. Lutz Wehmeier, the General
Manager, was adamant that one of SCHOTT’s key advantages over competitors was
our comprehensive technical support services, and he felt that this, coupled with the
product quality, was a significant reason for SCHOTT making such a big impact in the
microarray substrate market in such a short time. The knowledge base and experience
within SCHOTT is a big bonus. We have staff who have over eight years experience of
working with the Nexterion® slide coatings and this allows us to produce very high
quality slides as well as quickly troubleshoot customer problems. Our technical support
team is also structured in such a way that we can offer an immediate response to cus-
tomers wherever they are in the world.


Customer Application Focus – Comparative Genomic Hybridization using
Nexterion® Coated Slides
SCHOTT Insert data / images
•

Array-CGH Background
Technological advances in the field of genomics have resulted in the sequencing of
genomes from several organisms, including the human genome. The availability of
genomic data has made it possible to screen genetic abnormalities on the genome-
wide scale. Comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) is a conventional molecular
cytogenetic method capable of detecting deletions, additions and amplification of DNA
copy numbers1. However, one of the limitations of this method is lower sensitivity or
spatial resolution in detecting single copy deletion. Array-CGH, which is based on
microarray technology, dramatically increases the resolution and dynamic range for
detection of deletions and amplification. For instance, copy number changes at the
level of 5-10 kilobases of DNA sequences can be detected using array-CGH as against
10 megabases using conventional CGH. In addition, array-CGH allows direct mapping
Fig. 1 Results from Combimatrix of genetic aberrations on the chromosomes, does not require cell culture or metaphase
Molecular Diagnostics of an Array- chromosome, and improves throughput of testing. As the array format lends itself to
CGH experiment with Nexterion® automation, array-based CGH technology should soon be practical for diagnosis of
HiSens A slides from SCHOTT. cancer or genetic diseases in the clinical setting.
CMDX intends to offer these arrays
for clinical diagnostic applications.
Array-CGH consists of an orderly arrangement of human DNA probes derived from
coding and non-coding regions on coated glass substrate2,3,4. The DNA can be pre-
pared from BACs (Bacterial artificial chromosomes) amplified by PCR from cDNA li-
braries or specific genomic sequences5. The probes are printed robotically on an ami-
nosilane or other coated microarray slide2. Alternatively, Approaches such as genomic
representation arrays6, oligonucleotide arrays7 and specific target arrays8 have been
also successfully used. For typical array CGH analysis DNA from a test and normal
reference sample are labelled with different fluorophores and co-hybridized to the ar-
ray9. After hybridization the ratio of fluorescence intensity of test to reference DNA
sample (log2 ratios) is calculated to measure the copy number changes. Samples that
Fig. 2 High density human BAC 20K do not show any genetic aberrations will indicate a constant ratio across the genome
array printed on Schott Nexterion® A+ area. Therefore, array-CGH offers a flexible platform for studying genetic abnormalities
slides at genome wide level, which can be performed in a high throughput, and cost-effective
way.

Array-CGH in Clinical Applications
Array-CGH has been used as a research tool that can address many human health
problems that involves genetic abnormalities including carcinomas and specific condi-
tions such as Down Syndrome. Recently, several commercial companies are convert-
ing this research tool into a diagnostic product by offering array-CGH products and
services for clinical laboratories. These companies are currently seeking clarification of
regulatory requirements for array-CGH and are in process of getting FDA approval for
clinical applications.

In order to meet FDA regulations, data generated from array-CGH assays needs to
meet certain criteria and this is the challenge, for example, facing many companies
Data was kindly provided by Dr. Norma looking to offer arrays to the clinical diagnostics community. The data should show low
Nowak, Roswell Park Cancer Institute
levels of variability among the replicates, samples with identical copy numbers, and
non-specific background. Therefore the protocol for producing array-CGH assays
needs to be carefully optimized. Another key consideration in this process is the quality
of coated microarray slide, as this is critical for optimal immobilization of the probes
and their accessibility to the target for hybridization, as well as for obtaining a low hy-
bridization background. The coated glass substrate not only influences these factors,
but is also important in determining whether users can consistently generate repro-
ducible results day in and day out. SCHOTT is one of the few slide manufacturers able
to offer the high level of lot to lot reproducibility required for diagnostic type applica-
tions.


Nexterion® Slide A and Slide A+ for array-CGH Applications
The most popular slide surface chemistry for array-CGH has traditionally been Ami-
Fig. 3: Representative human 19K nosilane, with Nexterion® Slide A and Slide A+ having performed exceptionally well for
BAC aCGH profile of melanoma tumor this type of application at numerous facilities throughout the world. The Microarray and
demonstrating detection of DNA seg- Genomics Facility at Roswell Park Cancer Research Institute (RPCI) in Buffalo, NY is
ment copy number changes. Average one of SCHOTT’s oldest North American customers, having successfully used both
log2 ratios (y-axis) were plotted for all Slide A and Slide A+ for an array-CGH application with a slightly modified version of
clones based on chromosomal posi- the recommended SCHOTT protocols. Currently they use Nexterion® Slide A+ slides to
tion (x-axis) with the blue bar demar- print their high-density, and Nexterion® Slide A to print their lower density (<15k) BAC
cating the chromosomes (top plot) and arrays. The arrayed products have excellent morphology and retention on both slide
centromeres (bottom plots). Horizontal surfaces. Slide A+ allows RPCI to print over 70,000 features per slide thanks to the
red lines indicate the log2 ratio for hydrophobic nature of the surface chemistry. SCHOTT’s state-of-the-art slide produc-
each segment as segmented by Circu- tion facility and experienced production team in Germany, manufacture slides with a
very high lot-to-lot consistency, helping to minimise variance between print runs, and
lar Binary Segmentation (CBS).
giving the RPCI facility the confidence to use these slides for research projects lasting
several years.

Figure 1: High density human BAC array
printed on Schott Nexterion type A+ The protocol followed by Roswell is relatively simple, with minimal post-print process-
slides. ing required for either of the Nexterion® Aminosilane slide surfaces after spotting BAC
The figure represents an overlay pseudo- printing solutions. In the RPCI facility, the arrayed slides are stored in a desiccated
color image of a RPCI-119
Chr 5 Chr BAC microar- 17
Chr environment after printing and UV cross linked immediately prior to hybridization. Suc-
ray, co-hybridized with fluorescently cinic anhydride blocking, boiling and/or SDS washes did not improve the performance
labeled DNA derived from a melanoma
sample (Cy5™) and a 5
Chr pooled human of the slides, but in fact added background and other reagent related artefacts that can
reference control (Cy3™). LM-PCR be detected after scanning. The success achieved in the RPCI facility using SCHOTT
representations of 19,000 BAC DNAs Nexterion® slides has led to the decision to utilize SCHOTT Nexterion® slides exclu-
were spotted in duplicate on Nexterion® sively to manufacture BAC arrays for Empire Genomics, a spin-off company from RPCI
Slide A+ using a BioRobotics MicroGrid II
TAS arrayer and MicroSpot 10K split pins recently launched by Dr. Norma Nowak. Dr. Nowak commented, “We are successfully
(Genomic Solutions, Inc. Ann Arbor, MI) using SCHOTT Nexterion® slides in our BAC aCGH services division of Empire Ge-
at 150 µm spacing. Competitive hybridi- nomics. This product enables us to analyze thousands of test DNAs and to reliably
zation of the melanoma sample with the compare their copy number status to control samples. When it comes to printing thou-
reference control Chr 9 copy number
identifies
amplifications (red spots) and deletions sands of BAC elements at high density over thousands of slides, Nexterion® Slide A+
(green spots). from SCHOTT is clearly the best slide out there.” (Fig. 3)

Other SCHOTT slides successfully used for array-CGH
In North America., SCHOTT has been receiving an increasing number of enquiries
Chr 17 from the microarray community for Nexterion® coated substrates for array CGH. Com-
bimatrix Molecular Diagnostics (Nexterion® Slide A) (Fig. 1), UCSF Comprehensive
Cancer Center (Slide A, A+ and E) and BC Cancer Agency (Slide AL) have all been
successful in using Nexterion® substrates for array CGH with BAC clones. Stanford
University has produced arrays for CGH using Invitrogen’s HEEBO (Human Exonic
Evidence Based Oligonucleotide) set on Nexterion® Slide E that they claim are compa-
rable or superior to the array CGH equivalent currently offered by commercial vendors
Data was kindly provided by Dr. Norma In Europe; the microarray core facility at UMCG Groningen has been successfully
Nowak, Roswell Park Cancer Institute working with Nexterion® Slide E for aCGH.

The examples show that four of the Nexterion® slide surfaces have been successfully
used in array CGH. SCHOTT has worked with these facilities to produce a fully opti-
mized protocol specifically for the array-CGH application on the Nexterion® coated
slides. Please contact us if you would like further information
(coatedsubstrate@schott.com).

1. Kallioniemi A. et al. (1992) Science 258:818-821.
2. Solinas-Toldo S. et al. (1997) Genes Chromosomes Cancer 20:399-407.
3. Pinkel D. et al. (1998). Nat Genet. 20:207-211.
4. Snijders A. M. et al. (2001) Nat Genet. 29:263-264.
5. Pollack J. R. (1999) Nat Genetics 12:41-46.
6. Lucito R. et al. (2000) Genome Res. 10:1726-1736.
7. Lucito R. et al. (2003) Genome Res. 13:2291-2305.
8. Takeo S. et al. (2001) Cancel Genet Cytogenet. 130:127-132.
9. Cowell JK, Nowak NJ. (2003) Adv Cancer Res 91-125.


New Product Focus – Nexterion® LEB (Low Evaporation Buffer) Kit

An increasing number of microarray facilities are printing high density arrays to
increase the number of features per slide. Although higher density printing can be
performed using standard microarrayers, this can often result in significantly extended
rinting runs ranging from overnight to several days or even longer. Typically printing is
performed at 50% relative humidity, and significant evaporation of the aqueous printing
buffers from the source plates and printing pins can occur. This results in printing
aberrations and poor spot morphologies as well as a reduced number of spots printed
per filled pin.
Product Development
SCHOTT had many requests from around the world to develop a low evaporation
Fig.1 Example of spot morphology
printing buffer that is compatable with Nexterion® Slide E, SCHOTT’s market leading
possible with Nexterion® LEB-Buffer
epoxysilane coated slide. R&D at SCHOTT Microarray Solutions initiated a program to
develop a “low evaporation” printing buffer that would be suitable for use during long
print runs and would produce excellent spot morphology (Fig.1) without negatively
Facilities using Nexterion® LEB- affecting the overall performance of the microarrays.
Buffer:
Samples of the first LEB prototype printing buffer were sent out to several test sites in
• Microarray Core Facility, Lund, Europe and the U.S., and although the feedback from most sites was positive in terms
Sweden of reducing the effect of evaporation, the spot sizes varied enormously. Given such a
• The Institute of Genomic variance in spot size, plus the stringent requirements of many customers for specific
Research/The Pathogen spot sizes, it was decided that simply offering a single standard Low Evaporation Buffer
Functional Genomics Resource would not meet the needs of the majority of customers.
Center (TIGR / PFGRC) To circumvent this problem, and to allow maximum flexibility to the customers,
Maryland, USA SCHOTT came up with the concept of a LEB Kit consisting of an improved LEB buffer
(see Article on Page 7) that does not contain any detergent, and a separate 1% Sarkosyl solution for optional
• City of Hope Medical Center CA, use by the customer. By varying the amount of Sarkosyl solution added to the LEB,
USA customers are able to adjust the spot size (50 µm–200 µm depending on pin diameter)
according to their requirements. Full guidelines are provided with the kit.
The LEB kit has been extensively tested internally, and by a group of beta test sites,
and, to our knowledge, the evaporation rate of the improved LEB is the lowest (<5%
Scatter Plot of Optimized Hybridization loss at 50% relative humidity over 16 hour print runs) of any spotting buffer currently
Hu.Thymus 555 Hu.Brain 647 available on the market. With a pitch (spot spacing) of 160 µm, it is possible to achieve
25k spot density, without any wandering and/or coalescence of spots. It was found that
pre-spotting is an extremely important factor in obtaining the best possible results with
the LEB printing buffer, with 60-70 prespots after each source visit appearing to be
optimal.
City of Hope Medical Centre LEB Evaluation
At the City of Hope Medical Center, the need for a lower evaporation spotting buffer
coincided with the transition from spotting cDNA to microRNA oligonucleotides. When
the Ambion mirVANA miRNA oligonucleotide probe sets were printed in 3x SSC and
aqueous phosphate-based spotting buffers on Nexterion® Slide E, the facility recog-
nized that only a maximum of 20-25 slides could be consistently printed (with four spot
replicates per slide) due to the evaporation of probes on the pins during print runs. To
Fig. 2: Scatter plot of expression ratios circumvent this problem, the Nexterion® LEB buffer plus varying concentrations of
(background subtracted) displayed from detergent were tested with the microRNA oligonucleotides. After some initial experi-
optimized hybridization (Courtesy City of
Hope)
mentation, two customized LEB buffers containing 0.005% and 0.0075% detergent
were selected for their ability to consistently printing up to 100 consecutive slides, with
four spot replicates per slide. After further testing, it was found that for printing miRNA
LEB UPDATE! probes onto Nexterion® Slide E and HiSens E slides, the LEB buffer containing 0.005%
SCHOTT is in the process of further improving detergent gave the most consistanly reproducible results.
the LEB buffer to accommodate over 25k spots
per slide, further details will be included in Optimal Use of Expensive Probes
future editions of Microarray Solutions. Read- An unexpected benefit was that the City of Hope discovered that they could print up to
ers interested in receiving further information
on the tests conducted in-house and by our 500% more slides with the customized LEB than with the basic phosphate-based
external test centers should contact us buffer. In addition, there was little or no evaporation from the 384-well plate during the
(coatedsubstrate@schott.com) to receive a 4-5 hours print runs. An example of a recent hybridization from a stringently controlled
copy of the “LEB Testing Report”.
print is shown in Figure 2.


Technical Support in Focus – The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) and
Nexterion® LEB (Low Evaporation Buffer) Kit

The Institute of Genomic Research (TIGR) / The Pathogen Functional Genomics
Resource Center (PFGRC) is a not-for-profit center dedicated to deciphering and
Fig.1: Comparison of evaporation
analyzing genomes. For years TIGR/PFGRC has been at the forefront of the genomics
over 5 days
revolution through ambitious scientific programs and has helped scientists around the
(Courtesy of TIGR)
world deepen the understanding of life by producing results in a diverse range of
applications in the areas of medicine, agriculture, energy, the environment and
Phosphate Nexterion® biodefense. Microarrays are one of the many powerful tools TIGR/PFGRC uses to
Buffer LEB Buffer analyze thousands of genes simultaneously. In 2005, TIGR/PFGRC chose to partner
with SCHOTT as its preferred microarray substrate provider. TIGR/PFGRC adopted
Nexterion® Slide E as its substrate of choice after performing extensive tests
DAY 1
comparing different slides and surface chemistries from several substrate suppliers.
Since then TIGR/PFGRC has been in close contact with the SCHOTT technical
support specialists to obtain the best possible results with Slide E.

DAY 2 TIGR/PFGRC has been successfully using SCHOTT’s Nexterion® Slide E for spotting
their oligo and cDNA libraries for over a year. In recent discussions it became clear that
TIGR/PFGRC would require a different print buffer to Nexterion® Spot, the standard
phosphate based spotting solution offered by SCHOTT, as it moved to printing higher
DAY 3 density arrays. In trying to print these higher density arrays with standard buffers, it
was noticed that the buffer in the source plates was evaporating during the longer print
runs. This required that the source plates be repeatedly refilled. TIGR/PFGRC was
obviously keen to avoid this tedious, time consuming step and was also looking to
DAY 4 make more efficient use of the probes by having a spotting solution available that could
provide more spots per filled pin. After a significant amount of product development
work, SCHOTT was able to provide TIGR/PFGRC with a prototype LEB buffer kit that
appeared to give promising results in internal evaluations while sustaining the good
DAY 5 features of the Nexterion® Spot print buffer in terms of uniform spot morphology and
high signal intensities.

TIGR/PFGRC received the first prototype LEB and, in close consultation with the
SCHOTT technical support specialists and the R&D team in Germany, immediately set
about evaluating the product for its higher density arrays. The feedback from
TIGR/PFGRC was promising with the LEB proving to be successful in reducing the
effects of evaporation. However, in a conference call with SCHOTT’s technical support
team, TIGR/PFGRC expressed concern at the spot sizes (around 100 µm) with the
“We have a pretty valued relationship LEB, and were keen to see smaller spot sizes (many other LEB test centers reported
with the scientists at SCHOTT. that they were looking for a smaller or larger spot size with the LEB prototype, spot
They're always very attentive to our sizes ranged from 70 µm to 140 µm depending on the customer’s set-up conditions).
needs and work closely with us to Taking this feedback into account, SCHOTT prepared several different versions of the
ensure our production runs smoothly.” LEB buffer with different amounts of detergent to produce varying spot sizes.

Kathy Ong, Research Associate at TIGR/PFGRC ran several experiments with the buffers including evaporation tests (see
TIGR Fig.1) and analysis of the spot morphology, signal intensity and spot size until they
found the customized LEB most suitable for their arrays. LEB E2 performed the best in
the evaluation, eliminating the problem of evaporation over the longer print run (little
evaporation was seen even after 8 days of incubation at room temperature) and
offering spot sizes averaging 65µm that were ideal for TIGR/PFGRC’s higher density
Ordering details for the new arrays. Furthermore, after SCHOTT’s R&D team informed TIGR/PFGRC that 60-70
Nexterion® LEB kit pre-spots per filled pin were optimal for prespotting with the LEBs, TIGR/PFGRC found
that 600 spots could be printed with one filled pin – four times the number of spots it
managed to get with the standard aqueous buffers.
Item N° Contents
1117902 • 100 ml LEB print In conclusion, TIGR/PFGRC was extremely impressed with its interaction with
buffer SCHOTT’s technical support specialists throughout the LEB evaluation and admitted
• 10 ml 1% Sarkosyl that SCHOTT’s overall commitment to technical support was a key factor when
solution TIGR/PFGRC decided to switch slide suppliers. The LEB buffer selected by
• Instructions for use TIGR/PFGRC is now a key component in the microarray production process.
TIGR/PFGRC is now able to successfully produce high density arrays with precise spot
sizes and morphologies, high signal intensities and low evaporation rates.


SCHOTT Microarray Solutions News
SCHOTT Microarray Solutions Unit Gains ISO 9001 Certification
In June 2006, the Microarray Solutions unit successfully passed the DIN EN ISO
9001:2000 certification.

Availability of New Surface Chemistries in HiSens Range of Slides
Following the launch of the Nexterion® HiSens range of slides earlier this year with the
Nexterion® Slide A (Aminosilane) and Slide E (Epoxysilane) surface chemistries,
SCHOTT is pleased to announce that HiSens slides will now be available with all sur-
face chemistries in the Nexterion® product portfolio. This includes Nexterion® Slide A+
(Aminosilane), Slide AL (Aldehyde) and Slide H (3-D hydrogel) surfaces.
Demand for Nexterion® HiSens slides continues to be high, and comes on the back of
exceptionally good feedback from beta test sites and first customers. Users are consis-
tently obtaining up to an eight fold increase in signal intensity with HiSens slides over
Kai Griesenbrock, Head of Quality and regular slides, and the product is proving invaluable for applications in which research-
Process Management, accepts the ISO ers have only a limited amount of target material. The availability of HiSens slides in all
9001 certificate from Dr. Michaela surface chemistries means that HiSens slides can now be used for an even wider
Krenzer, Senior ISO auditor, SCHOTT range of applications, such as protein microarrays.
Please contact your local Sales Manager for further information.

Nexterion® Web shop Success
Do you prefer to do your shopping online? Are you tired of having to wait for purchase
orders to be prepared and authorized before you can order products? Do you like the
flexibility of being able to order products 24/7? Well, why not join the vast number of
SCHOTT customers who regularly purchase products through the Nexterion® Web
shop?
To visit our web shop, please go to:
SCHOTT launched the Nexterion® Web shop in all regions in February 2004. Customer
US: usage of the web shop has increased dramatically with the number of U.S. customers
www.us.schott.com/nexterion/shop quadrupling in the past year alone. The web shop allows users access to information
on the full, up-to-date SCHOTT portfolio of Nexterion® products, including pricing,
Rest of the world: simply by completing the short registration form. All orders placed on the web shop are
then sent directly to our Sales Department for immediate processing enabling us to
www.schott.com/nexterion/shop
have the products sent out to you without delay.
SCHOTT re-launched the web shop in early 2006 by adding new products and infor-
mation on the Nexterion® range and implementing a number of suggestions for im-
provements from users. If you have encountered any problems with the Nexterion®
Web shop, or have suggestions on how we can improve the web shop experience,
please contact us at coatedsubstrate@schott.com.

Conference and Exhibition Calendar 2006/07

Event Location Date Weblink
Discovery-2- Boston, USA 25 - 27 September www.discovery2diagnostics.com/
Diagnostics (D2D) 2006
(Chips to Hits)
Advances in Microarray Amsterdam, Nether- 31 October - 02 No- www.selectbiosciences.com/conferences/amt2006
Technology lands vember 2006
ASCB Annual meeting San Diego, USA 10 -13 December www.ascb.org/meetings/am2006/index.cfm
2006
LabAutomation 2007 Palm Springs, CA. 28 - 31 January 2007 www.labautomation.org/LA/LA07
USA
Statusseminar Chip- Frankfurt, Germany 01 - 02 February www.dechema.de/chips
technologie 2007 2007

If you are interested in presentations given by SCHOTT at past conferences please
contact us at coated.substrate@schott.com

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