What is "fluchip"

The FluChip is a low-density DNA microarray for the identification of influenza viruses, originally developed at the University of Colorado at Boulder in the laboratory of Professor Kathy Rowlen in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta.

The project was funded in 2003 by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. The original FluChip was designed to detect both influenza A and B viruses utilizing three gene targets: the HA ( Hemagglutinin), NA ( Neuraminidase), and M (matrix) gene segments. Numerous short DNA capture sequences were designed , and used to both type and subtype influenza A viruses by taking advantage of genetic similarities and differences. The overall assay consisted of RT-PCR amplification of influenza RNA, subsequent runoff transcription using the PCR product as template, and hybridization of fluorescently-labeled fragmented RNA to the microarray surface. The overall pattern of fluorescence intensities were utilized to type and subtype the influenza virus(es) present.