Protein micro arrays immobilized by μ-stamps and -protein wells on PhastGel(®) pad

This paper reports a novel stamping system, employing μ-stamps and -protein wells to simultaneously transfer proteins onto an array without de-naturalization, cross-contamination, and de-attachment of the proteins. The μ-stamps and -protein wells were successfully fabricated by micro machining and micro molding process. The effect of surface properties of μ-stamp on micro printing has been studied, and results demonstrated the feasibility of printing protein arrays with spot-size of 350m square and pitch of 100m. Testing results show that each stamped protein sample can be clearly identified with uniform deposition, and lasts for 6h under water washing without appreciable de-attachment. This method may be used to transfer numerous different protein samples with the help of pre-filled μ-protein wells. © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.