Cover image

Illustration of the gene expression assay BADGE (Beads Array for Detection of Gene Expression), on the Luminex system. Oligonucleotide capture probes derived from target genes are synthesized and immobilized to different color-coded beads via a chemical coupling reaction. The beads are hybridized to fluorescence-labeled targets (cRNA) and passed through two laser detection systems. One laser system identifies the color code and another laser system measures the fluorescence intensity. Each Mean Fluorescence Intensity corresponds to the expression level of a specific gene. (For details, see Yang et al., pp. 1888–1898. Cover created by Shannon Fitzgerald.)