abstract |
Substrates with surfaces comprising compounds with thiol functional groups protected with a photoremovable protecting group can be used to construct arrays of immobilized anti-ligands, such as oligonucleotide probes or other biological polymers. The arrays can be used in assays to detect the presence of complementary nucleic acids in a sample. Spatially addressed irradiation of predefined regions on the surface permits immobilization of oligonucleotides and other biological polymers at the activated regions on the surface. Cycles of irradiation on different regions of the surface and immobilization of different anti-ligands allow formation of an immobilized matrix of anti-ligands at defined sites on the surface. The immobilized matrix of anti-ligands permits simultaneous screenings of a liquid sample for ligands having high affinities for certain anti-ligands of the matrix. |