A Method for Quantifying the Performance of a DNA Microarray Scanner

Introduction The microarray scanner plays a pivotal role in the DNA microarray processing workflow and can profoundly affect the quality and reliability of microarray data. Since important decisions are often based on microarray scanning results, it is critical to understand the magnitude of the error contribution of each step in the microarray processing workflow compared to the total error of the microarray analysis process. For lack of a simple method for assessing scanner performance, the microarray scanner is frequently ignored as a source of experimental error.