A DNA Microarray LIMS System for Integral Genomic Analysis of Multi-Platform Microarrays

The analysis of DNA microarray data is a rapidly evolving area of bioinformatics, and various types of microarray are emerging as some of the most exciting technologies for use in biological and clinical research. In recent years, microarray technology has been utilized in various applications such as the profiling of mRNAs, assessment of DNA copy number, genotyping, and detection of methylated sequences. However, the analysis of these heterogeneous microarray platform experiments does not need to be performed separately. Rather, these platforms can be co-analyzed in combination, for cross-validation. There are a number of separate laboratory information management systems (LIMS) that individually address some of the needs for each platform. However, to our knowledge there are no unified LIMS systems capable of organizing all of the information regarding multi-platform microarray experiments, while additionally integrating this information with tools to perform the analysis. In order to address these requirements, we developed a web-based LIMS system that provides an integrated framework for storing and analyzing microarray information generated by the various platforms. This system enables an easy integration of modules that transform, analyze and/or visualize multi-platform microarray data. Availability: The website for the system can be accessed at the following web address; http://dnachip.macrogen.co.kr/. The LIMS system was originally built to support the DNA Microarray System Development Center for Diagnostic and Prognostic Application to Genetic and Acquired Diseases, supported by the Ministry of Health & Welfare of Korea. Academic users who want to use the system described here should contact us via http://cafe.naver.com/dnachip.cafe/ to attain access privileges. *Corresponding author: E-mail [email protected], [email protected] Tel +82-2-2113-7007, Fax +82-2-2113-7016 Accepted 2 April 2007