Virginia Bioinformatics Institute completes largest ever Affymetrix GeneChip plant experiment

The Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) at Virginia Tech today announced that it has completed the largest ever Affymetrix GeneChip microarray study for a plant experimental system in an academic research setting. The 2600-chip experiment explores the counter-play of plant and pathogen genes during infection of soybean with the root-rot pathogen Phytophthora sojae, with a focus on mechanisms of long-lasting disease resistance. P. sojae causes severe damage in soybean crops and results in $100-200 million annually in losses for commercial farmers in the United States alone.