The process begins with the isolation of RNA from a biological sample, which is then converted into complementary DNA (cDNA). This cDNA is labeled with fluorescent dyes and applied to the microarray. As the labeled cDNA binds to the complementary DNA sequences on the microarray, a scanner detects the fluorescence intensity at each spot. The intensity of fluorescence correlates with the amount of gene expression, allowing researchers to analyze gene activity on a massive scale.
