RetChip
Within the frame of the EVI-GENORET program we have designed and produced RETCHIP an oligonucleotide microarray to study mouse retinal development and degeneration.
RETCHIP contains 1500 genes that are most relevant to retinal biology. The selection is based on the following criteria:
- genes of interest for the participant,
- genes mutated in inherited retinal degeneration,
- genes hallmarks of relevant signalling pathways,
- genes showing variation in expression identified from our Affymetrix experiment using the rd1 mouse.
RETCHIP is very inexpensive (15 euros/slide, 2000 slides have already been produced) and will allow to do multiple experiments (time points, doses, ...) that may viewed as preliminary to more expensive analysis using more costly methods. This tool represents the possibility of working the experimental design carefully.
RETCHIP is running on the national microarray platform at Luxembourg (Laurent Vallard). This platform that is part of EVI-GENORET is also a facility where the hybridizations will be made.
The trainees will have the opportunity to perform their experiments on the platform. Experiments performed using the chip should provide high level of standardization. In addition we have validated and broadly distributed a standard operation procedure to purify RNA from mouse retina using CsCl centrifugation (SOP within EVI-GENORET).
See the RetChip web page
