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Glite Dictionary
gene chip

gene chip

6.6
A small device with many tiny DNA pieces that tests many genes in a sample
  • noun
  • /dʒin tʃɪp/
  • Specialized
translation icon : chip genético
  • But then the final advance was technological, something called a, a gene chip or snip chip.

Examples

  • PHOTO (COLOR): Microarrays, or gene chips, enable scientists to get a quick look at thousands of genes in a single experiment.

    Academic text (2004)

  • So back when Affymetrix was, which is a company that makes these gene chips was much more primitive.

  • Now they are the basis of high tech gene chips and people work with them all the time.

  • And that means that you could design A gene chip just to pick up enough of these to tag a person as having that particular block of DNA.

  • With this genome sequence information in hand, the scientists are developing microarrays, or gene chips, that make possible a quick look at thousands of genes in a single experiment.

    Academic text (2004)

  • A newly developed biotechnology named HybriMax, combining two advanced techniques, flow-through hybridization and gene chip, is developed to be used in clinical practice for the detection and genotyping of 21 different types of HPVs in one test.

    Blog text (21)

  • Scientists use gene chips to analyze genetic variations in patients with rare diseases.

  • The latest gene chips can detect multiple genetic markers in a single test, improving diagnosis.

  • With gene chips, researchers can compare gene expressions from healthy and diseased tissues efficiently.

Synonyms

microarray
vsgene chip
  • Specialized
6 7.1

A lab device with many tiny DNA spots that test many genes at once

focuses specifically on DNA probes to detect gene sequences
biochip
vsgene chip
  • Specialized
2 7.7

A small chip that tests many genes or other biological molecules quickly

is narrower and concentrates on DNA probes for detecting sequences
DNA chip
vsgene chip
  • Specialized
4.3

A small device with many pieces of DNA that tests genes in samples

is the same device but uses a different common term

Surface Forms

gene chip singular
gene chips plural

Morphology

gene + chip

The meaning is directly compositional: 'gene' (a DNA segment) plus 'chip' (a small electronic/microchip) yields a small electronic device related to genes, so a learner who knows both words can infer it is a microchip used for genetic purposes such as detection or analysis. Noun–noun compounding of this type is common and cross-linguistically transparent, making the term predictable for a B1 learner.

Etymology

The noun gene chip is named for a small computer-style chip covered with tiny gene 'spots' that stick to pieces of DNA. So, a gene chip is a tiny microchip used to find and study many genes at once.