Array technology is becoming increasingly important in current biological, medical and pharmaceutical research. The "Peptide Chip" joint project between the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) (Dept. Chip-Based Peptide Libraries) and the Chair of Computer Science at the Kirchhoff-Institute of Physics (KIP, University of Heidelberg) aims at developing high-density peptide arrays enabling multiple assays of peptide-protein interactions in parallel.
Microchips in high-voltage CMOS technology are designed as active supports for such high density peptide arrays. Charged particles containing amino acids are selectively deposited onto the modified chip surface using an electrical field generated by the chip itself. CMOS structures with spot pitches below 100µm and potentials of up to 100V allow for a high density peptide synthesis (>10.000 Peptides/cm2). Integrated photodiodes may be used for the subsequent detection of interaction patterns of these peptide arrays with labeled proteins.
Further information about the Peptid chip can be found on the home page of the project.
