Comparing microarray platform - Anyone using Illumina BeadChips? (Mar/04/2008 )

Anyone used Illumina BeadChip before? Is it good?
Ya, the protocols are quite straight and users friendly, but how about the data?
Is it comparable with other microarray platforms?

I seldom heard of people using this system. However, our institute purchased the system and quite a number of people are using. Some even come from other institute!!!

Just wonder if anyone using this system before in this forum...

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I will be using it for expression arrays. Sounds pretty good from what I have heard! Will keep you posted

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Thanks for sharing your experience.
I am using the Illumina BeadChip for my project.

So far, the advantages I experiences are:

1) cheap (the price per array, including the kit is cheaper compare to any other system)

2) fast and easy.... user friendly

3) less variation per batch (buffers and solutions are all provided... therefore reduce the variation introduce by buffer variation; also, BeadChips are all synthesize at one go.... )

4) can run many many sample on single slide



But there are also disadvantages:

1) All the BeadChips in same batch are sythesized from same pool of oligo beads - therefore when they make a new pool of beads, result from different batch will NOT be comparable. If you did your experiment using batch (a), when later batch (a) finished and batch (b ) is on the market, you can't use batch (b ).... you'll have to ask them to synthesize batch (a) for you... of course, pay more.

2) they have 6-arrays, 8-arrays, even 16-arrays etc. If you have result from a 6-array, you can't compare with another set of result from 8-array. Even though you use same sample on these arrays.


My concern now is the data generated from Illumina BeadChip.
Is it reliable?
Is it consistent?

It sounds so good, but is it really that good?
Hope there is any expert in Illumina can enlighten me on this?

Thank you. ^^

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