Microarray system and a process for detecting target analytes using the system

1. A process for identifying one or more target analytes present in a sample, the process comprising:

contacting a microarray with the sample, the microarray having at least two microbead subpopulations with randomly distributed spatial positions, each of the subpopulations comprising microbeads having a known active agent capable of binding with a respective target analyte, but not having an identifier or tag useable to distinguish the subpopulations from each other;

determining, after contacting the microarray with the sample, the spatial positions of the microbeads which have undergone a change that is indicative of a respective one of the active agents being bound to a corresponding one of the target analytes; and

identifying at least one of the microbead subpopulations which has undergone the change by comparing the determined spatial positions to recorded spatial positions of the microbeads of the at least two microbead subpopulations stored in an encoding/decoding data table, wherein the encoding/decoding table is accessible using an identifier of the microarray which is unique to the microarray and corresponds to a particular encoding/decoding table of a plurality of different encoding/decoding tables, wherein the identifier of the microarray can be input by a user into an internet-based supplier site or a computer program supplied with the microarray, and wherein the identifier of the microarray is a serial number,

wherein the one or more target analytes are identified based on one or more of the known active agents belonging to the at least one identified microbead subpopulation.

2. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the change is an optical change.

3. The process according to claim 1 , further comprising contacting the microarray with a reagent or a specific binding substance and providing an optical signature which enhances identification of the spatial positions which have undergone the change.

4. The process according to claim 3 , wherein the optical signature is provided after the binding of the respective one of the active agents with the corresponding one of the target analytes.

5. The process according to claim 3 , wherein the optical signature comprises at least one reporting dye.

6. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the spatial positions are determined with reference to at least one fiducial present on a substrate of the microarray and wherein the recorded positions in the encoding/decoding data table are with reference to the at least one fiducial.

7. The process according to claim 6 , further comprising generating a data image of the microarray after contacting the microarray with the sample and registering the data image using the at least one fiducial.

8. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the active agents include bioactive agents including at least one of a protein, a nucleic acid, an enzyme, a cell, a virus particle and an antibody.

9. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the target analytes include at least one of a nucleotide sequence, a nucleic acid, a protein, a lipid moiety, a carbohydrate moiety, an enzyme, an antibody, an antigen, an environmental pollutant, a chemical, a therapeutic molecule, a biomolecule, a whole cell, a virus and a spore.

10. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the respective target analyte binds to its known active agent though a chemical interaction including at least one of an electrostatic interaction, an ionic bond, a covalent bond, a hydrogen bond and a dipole-dipole interaction.

11. A system for identifying one or more target analytes present in a sample, the system comprising:

a microarray having at least two microbead subpopulations with randomly distributed spatial positions, each of the subpopulations comprising microbeads having a known active agent capable of binding with a respective target analyte; and

an encoding/decoding data table that is unique to the microarray and contains recorded spatial positions of at least one of the microbeads of the at least two microbead subpopulations,

wherein the encoding/decoding table is accessible using an identifier of the microarray which is unique to the microarray and corresponds to a particular encoding/decoding table of a plurality of different encoding/decoding tables, wherein the identifier of the microarray can be input by a user into an internet-based supplier site or a computer program supplied with the microarray, and wherein the identifier of the microarray is a serial number.

12. The system according to claim 11 , wherein the encoding/decoding table is provided in the system by being accessible via the internet.

13. The system according to claim 11 , wherein the identifier is present on the microarray.

14. The system according to claim 11 , wherein the encoding/decoding data table contains recorded spatial positions of all of the microbeads of the at least two microbead subpopulations.

15. The system according to claim 11 , further comprising a reagent or a specific binding substance.

16. The system according to claim 11 , further comprising an optical signature which enhances identification of the spatial positions of the microbeads which have undergone an optical change after binding of one of the active agents with a corresponding one of the target analytes.