Capitalizing on the distinctive properties of EviDots™, we have devised a unique and patented microarray assembly. The EviArray™ is fabricated with nanocrystal tagged oligonucleotide probes that are also attached to a fixed substrate in such a way that the nanocrystals can only fluoresce when the DNA probe couples with the corresponding target genetic sequence. This configuration has several advantages including:

■Significantly increased sensitivity
A single nanocrystal and thus a single oligonucleotide copy are detectable. This level of sensitivity potentially eliminates the need for PCR amplification and provides a platform for testing rarely expressed sequences. The addition of infrared nanocrystals allows for even greater sensitivity.

■Low-cost detection system
The advantages afforded by the emission and excitation spectrum of our quantum dot material allow for inexpensive broadband excitation as well as the ability to use low-cost detection because of the narrow emission and strong fluorescence of the dye. In addition, color multiplexing can be realized with this technology, thus avoiding costly micro-positioning detection systems typically required to read a microarray.

■Elimination of probe labeling steps
Because our EviArray comes pre-labeled, no probe labeling is required for use of the microarray.