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Although the chips detect RNAs and not proteins, many scientists refer to these kinds of analysis as [[gene expression|"expression analysis"]] or [[expression profiling]]. Since there are hundreds of thousands of distinct probes on an array, each can accomplish the equivalent of thousands of genetic tests in parallel. Arrays have therefore dramatically accelerated many types of investigations.
Depending on the technology used to fabricate the chips, microarrays may also be used in identifying hereditary genetic mutations and variation in individuals and across populations. Generally termed "genotyping" applications, chips may be used in this fashion for forensic applications, rapidly discovering or measuring genetic predisposition to disease, and identifying DNA-based drug candidates.
The lack of standardization in non-commercial arrays presents an [[interoperability problem]] in [[bioinformatics]], which hinders the exchange of array data. Many researchers use Affymetrix technology to a large extent because it is popular and standardized. At the same time, various grass-roots [[open source|open-source]] projects are attempting to facilitate the exchange and analysis of data produced with non-proprietary chips. The MIAME standard for describing a microarray experiment is being adopted by many [[Scientific journal|journals]] as a requirement for the submission of papers based on microarray results.
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