Chemical compound microarray

A Chemical Compound Microarray is a collection of organic chemical compounds spotted on a solid surface, such as glass and plastic. This microarray format is very similar to DNA microarray and Protein microarray. In chemical genetics research, they are routinely used for searching proteins that binds with specific chemical compounds, and in general drug discovery research, they are used for searching potential drugs for therapeutic targets. There are 3 different forms of chemical compound microarrays based on the fabrication method. The first form is to covalently immobilize the organic compounds on the solid surface with diverse linking techniques; this platform is usually called Small Molecule Microarray [1]. The second form is to spot and dry organic compounds on the solid surface without immobilization, this platform has a commercial name as Micro Arrayed Compound Screening (μARCS) [2]. The last form is to spot organic compounds in a homogenous solution without immobilization and drying effect, this platform is commercialized as DiscoveryDot™ technology [3].