Tissue microarrays – automated analysis and future directions

Abstract

Tissue microarrays have rapidly become a vital tool in the analysis of protein biomarkers on large patient cohorts. Composed of hundreds of miniature histologic tissue cores taken from patient tumors and arrayed in a grid pattern, tissue microarrays have great potential for automation. However, unlike DNA/RNA expression arrays, they contain spatial information, such that successful automation requires both the ability to quantitateandlocalize biomarkers within the tissue. This review traces tissue microarray analysis from the simplest of systems (visual inspection) to dedicated, automated quantitative analyzers capable of localizing biomarkers to sub-cellular compartments. It focuses on the importance of automating the process of tissue microarray analysis, while commenting on the inherent problems associated with both manual and automated analysis. Finally, it discusses the future of automated tissue microarray analysis, emphasizing the many areas of development and potential improvement.