Rapidly advancing technology has created exciting opportunities for researchers and physicians who are trying to elucidate the causes of disease, create predictive or diagnostic assays and develop effective therapeutic treatments. Large-scale and high-throughput genomic and proteomic studies are generating vast amounts of data that are already leading to the identification of drug targets and disease biomarkers. The new challenge is to sift through all of the gene and protein expression data to find clinically relevant information. A rate-limiting step in the screening process has been the need to examine histological samples one at a time. This degree of scrutiny is necessary to interpret the often complex expression and distribution patterns of target molecules within actual tissues. To overcome this limitation, scientists have created a new research tool called the "tissue microarray" (TMA). TMAs allow hundreds of tissue specimens to be examined on a single microscope slide, greatly streamlining the processes of drug discovery and clinical diagnosis. In contrast to traditional tissue analysis techniques, which use at least one slide for every tissue from each patient or test subject, TMAs are created with specialized instrumentation that can remove small, circular punches from tissue specimens and array up to 1,000 different samples on the same slide. In addition to the tools for creating arrays, TMA studies frequently employ sophisticated methods for scanning the processed arrays as well as for archiving and analyzing the resulting visual data. Besides increasing throughput, TMAs offer the following benefits: conservation of precious tissue resources, improved internal experimental control, reduced consumption of reagents and facilitation of multicenter research studies. Applications include studies that attempt to link gene expression data with stages of tumor progression, screening and validation of drug targets, and quality control for molecular detection methods. Prepared as a complete market information source for companies wishing to capitalize on the increasing popularity of this powerful, new technology, The Market for Tissue Microarrays covers all facets of TMA use in both clinical and research laboratories. Over 250 researchers, physicians and technicians who use TMAs were queried on their most commonly used applications and methods. The report examines their research objectives, instrumentation for production and analysis of TMAs, outsourcing practices and preferred TMA suppliers. In addition, respondents revealed how other technologies such as DNA microarrays and protein chips are being used in conjunction with TMAs to streamline disease research, diagnosis and treatment. This report is filled with vital information for companies that want to stay ahead of the competition by improving their service and product offerings. Report Highlights
The Market for Tissue Microarrays contains over 60 charts and/or tables and over 20 cross-tabulations for the 34 survey questions. Below is a glimpse of the key findings derived from just a few of the survey questions: • Of the respondents who do not yet, but plan to use tissue microarrays, 63% believe they will adopt the new technology within the next year. (Question 7) • For 64% of the respondents, their primary application for tissue microarrays is "basic research on specific genes or proteins." (Question 8) • Invitrogen, BD Biosciences Pharmingen and Ambion were mentioned most often as the primary commercial suppliers of tissue microarrays. (Question 18) • "Expertise provided by the service provider" was cited most frequently as the primary reason to outsource tissue microarray procedures. (Question 22) • Over 30% of the respondents primarily use an instrument created in-house when producing tissue microarrays internally. (Question 27) • For internal tissue microarray processing/analysis, the majority of the scientists surveyed use microscopes (57%) and/or a manual staining system/instrument (53%). (Question 33) (electronic copy also includes 1 print copy)
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