Products - Microarray Instruments - Hybridization Station

TrayMix™ S2 uses sample micro-mixing driven by chaotic advection for microarray hybridization. Excellent experimental results are ensured by completely homogeneous dispersion of the probe molecules across the 21 x 60 mm reaction area. TrayMix S2 significantly reduces hybridization time while offering reproducible and robust results from one experiment to the next, using as little as 5 pmole of labeled or unlabeled material in the hybridization. The system is easy to use and maintain, and requires no expensive gaskets or special cover slips. Greater specificity of hybridization is achieved while reducing the coefficients of variation (CV). Enhance the analysis of your results of gene expression, mutation detection, comparative genomic hybridization, genotyping, FISH, and more.

Specifications
The hybridization temperature is controllable from 20-75°C +/-0.1°C. Upstream of the reaction area, which includes the mixing loop and hybridization chamber, a manifold introduces a programmable 5-way reagent selection system.  Pre-hybridization, hybridization buffer, washing solutions and decontamination solution are all computer controlled and programmable. Substrate slide drying is achieved after hybridization and washing using the ArrayIt® High-Speed Centrifuge, which dries the substrate slide completely in less than 10 seconds in preparation for microarray scanning.

Dimensions	35 cm x 26.5 cm x 14 cm (L x W x H)
Capacity	2 glass substrate slide microarrays
Microarray format	25 x 76 x 1 mm
Hybridization area	21 x 60 mm
Hybridization volume	Hybridization chamber: 50 µl Mixing loop: 450 µl
Hybridization reaction chamber	Specifically designed to maintain consistent reaction volumes from hybridization to hybridization using a shim system. Rubber gaskets are used to seal the chamber, but the gaskets do not define the volume of the hybridization reaction.
Biological samples	Optimal quantity: 5 to 50 pmol Injected volume via pipette: up to 50 µL
Temperature range	20-75°C +/-0.1°C
Buffers and solutions	Chemically-resistant to all standard biochemical reagents
Programming	PC + BioTray software in a windows operating system. Four stations can be run using a single computer.
Flexibility	Automation through computer control and easy to use software. The injection port is directly connected to the chamber allowing specific procedures to be implemented including multiple hybridizations, sandwich assays, and enzymatic reactions.
Repeatability	The computer controlled system performs repeatable tasks much more precisely than manual operations.
Complete automation	Homogeneous mixing in a controlled reaction. Programmed cycles perform pre-hybridization, hybridization, up to three different wash steps, and complete cleaning of the system in preparation for the subsequent hybridization.
Cost effective	No expensive cover slips and very easy to maintain. Affordable supporting microarray products from ArrayIt®, the leading brand name in the industry for more than a decade.

Each hybridization chamber is totally independent. They can be launched simultaneously or programmed to run different protocols using an easy to use graphical user interface.

Once the system is programmed and the microarray substrate slides are in place on the platform, the system automatically delivers solutions into the hybridization chambers. The 50 µl hybridization chambers are sealed using gaskets located on the upper portion of the lids that each microarray when they are in the closed and locked position.

Up to 50 µl of sample is manually introduced into each hybridization chamber via a dedicated access port. During hybridization, the ports are closed to prevent evaporation.

Software
System programming is achieved via the easy to use graphical user interface shown below.

The software interface provides several functions:

• Traceability of operations and generation of reports in HTML format
• Saving and loading of protocols
• Flexibility to modify the operation of the system in all of the experimental steps including pre-hybridization, hybridization and washing.

Comparison of chaotic advection versus traditional static hybridization:
Tables 1 and 2 below compare the performance of the TrayMix™ S2 system with static cover slip hybridization. Better signal intensity is achieved in 2 hours using the TrayMix™ S2 than in 12 hours using static coverslip hybridization.

Table 1. Average fluorescence values and coefficients of variation (CVs) measured under different hybridization conditions (2 hours of hybridization).

Probe concentration (0.1 µM)	Solution volume(µl)	Probe quantity(pmoles)	Method	Hybridization solution	Fluorescent Mean (a.u.)	CV
Static Hybridization	50	5	cover slip	homogenous	5500	0.33
	500	50	TrayMix™ S2	homogenous	38500	0.56
Dynamic Hybridization	500	50	TrayMix™ S2	homogenous	11474	0.18
	500	50	TrayMix™ S2	non-homogeneou s	11823	0.17

Table 2. Average value for fluorescence and CV obtained with the same quantity of targets, both with and without agitation (2 hours of hybridization).

Probe quantity (5 pmole)	Solution volume (µL)	Concentratio n (µM)	Method	Hybridization solution	Fluorescence mean (a.u.)	CV
Static hybridization	50	0.1	cover slip	Homogenous	5500	0.33
Dynamic hybridization	500	0.01	TrayMix™ S2	Non-homogeneous	6452	0.16

NB: The CV of the system after 2 hours is equivalent to that of static systems with treatment under coverslip for 12 hours.

Signal/Noise vs Specificity
Microarrays hybridized for two hours with a single-stranded CY3 labeled DNA (84 mers) complementary to allele a. Hybridizations were performed with 5 pmol of target under the coverslip method and with the TrayMix™. Allele b was used as a control for hybridization specificity. All spot features were analyzed and compared to the local background signal for each of the experiments. Results comparing the mean signal to noise ratio of the fluorescent CY3 signals to the local background for allele a (black) and allele b (grey) of three experiments ± SD (Standard Deviation).

The figure shows that the specific signal/noise ratio (allele a – black bars) is enhanced from 3.5 to 4.2, while the non-specific signal/noise ratio (allele b - grey bars) is slightly reduced under the dynamic hybridization conditions of the TrayMix™. Comparisons of results after 12 hours of static hybridization are even more favorable to TrayMix™ (Data not shown). Chaotic mixing enhances the hybridization results in all important areas including time, homogeneity, and signal to noise ratio. In addition, the automation of this step is crucial for reproducibility. The system has thus been developed in view of attaining the levels of reproducibility essential for diagnostic purposes. Chaotic advection offers an even more significant advantage to passive hybridization when using high molecular weight molecules in applications such as Microarray Comparative Genomic Hybridization (aCGH).

Conclusion & perspectives
TrayMix offers a true innovation for enhancing hybridization efficacy, sensitivity, reproducibility and robustness while easy to use and flexible. The injection port is designed to allow small amounts of new reagents to be automatically and sequentially administered for pre- or post-hybridization processing
(e.g. enzymatic reactions, chemical reactions, sandwich reactions, etc…). This permits conception of more complicated processes such as oligo elongation and multi-step reactions. Furthermore, the technology allows adaptation to either multiple slides or multiple reaction areas per slide. It is to be noted that the TrayMix technology is applicable to all types of microarrays such as, CHIP on Chip, protein and peptide, CGH, and FISH. This vast spectrum of applications makes the TrayMix™ a great investment of anyone processing microarrays.

Technical Support
Please direct technical questions to arrayit@arrayit.com or call 408-744-1331.

Ordering Information

Catalog ID	Description	Price (US dollars)*
TMHS	Microarray hybridization station for 2 microarrays per cycle based on chaotic advection mixing technology. Each system includes a one year warranty, one year of complimentary software upgrades and complete technical support.	Inquire
OFB	ArrayIt® InnoScan® Ozone Free Box™ reduces ozone levels to 1 part-per-billion to eliminate ozone-mediated degradation of Arrayit Green540 and Red640, cyanine 3 and cyanine 5, and other dyes used for microarray hybridization. For use with the TrayMix™ S2 Hybridization Station.	Inquire

*Please contact us directly for exact pricing on these products by email at arrayit@arrayit.com or by telephone (408) 744-1331.

*International pricing may vary as much as 30% (or more depending on country) due to import duties, stocking fees and technical support.

Warranty
TeleChem ArrayIt® brand products are sold for research purposes. Extreme care and exact attention should be practiced in the use of the materials described herein. All TeleChem products are subject to extensive quality control and are guaranteed to perform as described when used properly. Any problems with these products should be reported to TeleChem immediately. Our liability is limited to the replacement of the product, or a full refund. Any misuse of this product is the full responsibility of the user, and TeleChem makes no warranty or guarantee under such circumstances.

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