A microarray database is a repository containing microarray gene expression data. The key uses of a microarray database are to store the measurement data, manage a searchable index, and make the data available to other applications for analysis and interpretation (either directly, or via user downloads).

Microarray databases can fall into two distinct classes:

  1. A peer reviewed, public repository that adheres to academic or industry standards and is designed to be used by many analysis applications and groups. A good example of this is the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) from NCBI or ArrayExpress from EBI.
  2. A specialized repository associated primarily with the brand of a particular entity (lab, company, university, consortium, group), an application suite, a topic, or an analysis method, whether it is commercial, non-profit, or academic. These databases might have one or more of the following characteristics:
    • A subscription or license may be needed to gain full access,
    • The content may come primarily from a specific group (e.g. SMD, or UPSC-BASE), the Immunological Genome Project
    • There may be constraints on who can use the data or for what purpose data can be used,
    • Special permission may be required to submit new data, or there may be no obvious process at all,
    • Only certain applications may be equipped to use the data, often also associated with the same entity (for example, caArray at NCI is specialized for the caBIG),
    • Further processing or reformatting of the data may be required for standard applications or analysis,
    • They claim to address the 'urgent need' to have a standard, centralized repository for microarray data. (See YMD, last updated in 2003, for example),
    • There is a claim to an incremental improvement over one of the public repositories,
    • A meta-analysis application, which incorporates studies from one or more public databases (e.g. Gemma primarily uses GEO studies; NextBio uses various sources)

Some of the most known public, curated microarray databases are:


DatabaseScopeMicroarray experiment setsSample profilesAs of date
ArrayTrackArrayTrack hosts both public and private data, including MAQC benchmark data, with integrated analysis tools162250,093Feb 2012
NCI mAdbHosts NCI data with integrated analysis and statistics tools ?105,000Mar 2012
ImmGen databaseOpen access across all immune system cells; expression data, differential expression, coregulated clusters, regulation2671059Jan 2012
GenevestigatorGene expression search engine based on manually curated, well annotated public and proprietary microarray and RNA-seq datasets3228232,855October 2016
Gene Expression Omnibus - NCBIany curated MIAME compliant molecular abundance study25859641770October 28, 2011
ArrayExpress at EBIAny curated MIAME or MINSEQE compliant transcriptomics data24838708914October 28, 2011
Stanford Microarray databaseprivate and published microarray and molecule abundance database (now defunct)82542 ?October 23, 2011
The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)collection of expression data for different cancers21229 ?August 30, 2013
GeneNetwork systemOpen access standard arrays, exons arrays, and RNA-seq data for genetic analysis (eQTL studies) with analysis suite~100~10000July, 2010
UNC modENCODE Microarray databaseNimblegen customer 2.1 million array~6180July 17, 2009
UPSC-BASEdata generated by microarray analysis within Umeå Plant Science Centre (UPSC).~100 ?November 15, 2007
UPenn RAD databaseMIAME compliant public and private studies, associated with ArrayExpress~100~2500Sept. 1, 2007
UNC Microarray databaseprovides the service for microarray data storage, retrieval, analysis, and visualization~312093April 1, 2007
MUSC databaseThe database is a repository for DNA microarray data generated by MUSC investigators as well as researchers in the global research community.~45555April 1, 2007
caArray at NCICancer data, prepared for analysis on caBIG411741November 15, 2006

See also

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