What does SNP microarray analysis detect?

SNP microarray analysis can identify minor imbalances in the genetic material that are present from birth. SNP microarrays are also excellent at detecting variations in the number of copies of specific genetic regions. This includes identifying both deletions and duplications. Additionally, SNP microarray analysis can detect aneuploidy. Another thing SNP microarrays can detect is loss of heterozygosity (LOH), revealing regions where one of the two different alleles is missing at specific locations in the genome. SNP microarrays can also detect regions of homozygosity, which are areas in the genome where both copies of a gene are identical. Lastly, SNP microarrays help to better understand chromosomal problems that other methods might have detected. They can identify unbalanced translocations, spot markers, ring chromosomes, and recombinant chromosomes.