Cover Picture: A Single‐Step Photolithographic Interface for Cell‐Free Gene Expression and Active Biochips (Small 3/2007)

The cover picture shows an image of fluorescent‐labeled double‐stranded DNA molecules encoded for entire genes some 2000 base‐pairs long. The molecules were immobilized on a silicon dioxide chip at one of their ends. The brightest regions of the image correspond to a high density of genes on the surface with 30 nm between molecules. Such gene chips can now be prepared using a new single‐step biocompatible photolithographic interface. This interface provides an adequate and simple‐to‐use platform for biosynthetic reactions localized to submicrometer resolution. The ability to fabricate gene layouts on a chip opens many new possibilities to explore artificial biological systems based on cell‐free gene expression at the scale of a living cell. For more information, please read the Full Paper, “A Single‐Step Photolithographic Interface for Cell‐Free Gene Expression and Active Biochips” by R. Bar‐Ziv and co‐workers on page 500 ff.