Microarrays are used for genome-wide assessments of mRNA transcript levels. Their use and acceptance has increased markedly during the last years. Considerable research effort is devoted to improve the methods of data generation and interpretation in microarray experiments. However, guidelines which set the methodological standards of microarray experiments are not established yet. The development of such 'best practices' is needed, as microarrays are becoming increasingly important in human clinical trials, both for differential diagnosis and monitoring of pharmacological efficacy.

The start of the NGFN’s second phase motivates to incite the discussion on guidelines and best practices for clinicians and biologists who work with microarrays. The discussion will focus on two major activities in microarray studies: 1.) From the genomic signature to a clinical profile; 2.) From a gene list to biological function. Additional relevant aspects related to statistical design, clinical epidemiology, and methodological quality in published work will also be discussed.