Microarray Simulator as Educational Tool

As many real-world applications, microarray measurements are inapplicable for large-scale teaching purposes due to their laborious preparation process and expense. Fortunately, many phases of the array preparation process can be efficiently demonstrated by using a software simulator tool. Here we propose the use of microarray simulator as an aiding tool in teaching of computational biology. Three case studies on educational use of the simulator are presented, which demonstrate the effect of gene knock-out, synthetic time series, and effect of noise sources. We conclude that the simulator, used for teaching the principles of microarray measurement technology, proved to be a useful tool in education.