Table 4.
Comparison of platforms
| Platform | Affymetrix® | nCounter® | BioMark HD™ | OpenArray® |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technology | Microarray | Hybridization | RT-qPCR | RT-qPCR |
| Input material | cDNA | Total RNA | Pre-Amp cDNA | cDNA |
| Sample consumption | 300 ng total RNA/sample | 200 ng total RNA/sample | 125 ng cDNA/sample | 120 ng cDNA/sample |
| Time for analysis | ~4 days from RNA to results | 22 h from RNA to results with a hands on time of 15 minutes. | 7 h from cDNA to results with a hands on time of ~ 4 h | 3 h from cDNA to results with a hands on time of 20 minutes. |
| Protocols | Difficult | Easy | Medium | Easy |
| Pricea | $$$$ | $$$ | $ | $$ |
Comparison are based on the 48 samples analyzed in the present study. a Platforms were graded based on total cost to analyze the complete set of 48 samples. The number of $ denotes the relation in costs between the platforms, with the highest number assigned to the most expensive platform.