Methods for utilization of microplates in chemical classification and analysis

A method for characterization of a polynucleotide sequence, the method comprising:

• genetically modifying a cell with said polynucleotide sequence;
• contacting at least one of said genetically modified cell with a plurality of assay conditions, each comprising culture medium and a substrate for growth of said cell;
• recording the growth or substrate utilization of said cell;
• and
• deriving a test pattern from the output signal resulting from contact between said cell and said assay conditions, wherein said test pattern indicates the phenotype of said cell resulting from genetic modification with said polynucleotide sequence.

A database of reference patterns, said database comprising a plurality of reference patterns obtained for one or more test compounds by the method of:

• contacting at least one cell with said test compound in the presence of a plurality of assay conditions, each comprising culture medium and a substrate for growth of said cell;
• recording the growth or substrate utilization of said cell in the presence of said test compound;
• and
• deriving a test pattern from the output signal resulting from contact between said cell and said test compound, wherein said test pattern indicates the phenotype of said cell in the presence of said test compound.

A database of reference patterns, said database comprising a plurality of reference patterns obtained for one or more polynucleotide sequences by the method of:

• genetically modifying a cell with said polynucleotide sequence;
• contacting at least one of said genetically modified cell with a plurality of assay conditions, each comprising culture medium and a substrate for growth of said cell;
• recording the growth or substrate utilization of said cell;
• and
• deriving a test pattern from the output signal resulting from contact between said cell and said assay conditions, wherein said test pattern indicates the phenotype of said cell resulting from genetic modification with said polynucleotide sequence.