Expired GE Hybridization Kit - (Dec/01/2009 )

Sadly, it does add one more risk factor!!

The results which I got using arrays which were stored for over a year and a half from the date of receipt of arrays, were not quite promising...I think it affects the slide chemistry and after hybridization the probes looked stripped! I was just trying a hyb on a very old array just out of curiosity and it turned out to be bad(The arrays were stored dessicated at dark as per recommendations). So if you are using arrays which came long time ago and get a bad result, its likely to be because of the bad array than the bad reagents!

I just scanned the slide yesterday and I can say it looks alright! The analysis is not done yet but based on the pictures I got neither the expired kit nor the array was bad! I suppose, the array quality can be quite different depending on the manufacturer and the printing technique etc... I used Agilent arrays - the storage box was dry but not airtight, only well wrapped, and apparently it still remained useable.

Hi Agnes,

That is good news!! I was talking about Agilent arrays too..For quite old arrays, you sometimes see some kind of degeneration of the probes..The probes are no more completely dense, they tend to show non uniformity in the spot pattern rather than showing a perfect circle. If the image looks good, it should be fine..