Aptamer-Based Biosensors to Detect Aquatic Phycotoxins and Cyanotoxins

Aptamer-based biosensors

Nucleic-acid aptamers have attracted intense interest and found wide applications in a range of areas. In this review, we summarize recent advances in the development of aptamer-based biosensors and bioassay methods, most of which have employed electrochemical, optical and mass-sensitive analytical techniques. Aptamers exhibit many advantages as recognition elements in biosensing when compared ...

Advances in the detection of phycotoxins and cyanotoxins.

Aptamer-based sandwich-type biosensors

Sandwich-type biosensor platforms have drawn lots of attentions due to its superior features, compared to other platforms, in terms of its stable and reproducible responses and easy enhancement in the detection sensitivity. The sandwich-type assays can be developed by utilizing a pair of receptors, which bind to the different sites of the same target. In this mini-review paper, the sandwich-typ...

New trends in aptamer-based electrochemical biosensors

The analytical characteristics of aptamers are comparable with those of antibodies for the development of biosensor technology. However, aptamers offer some crucial advantages over antibodies such as selection capability for a variety of targets, easy synthesis, improved reproducibility and stability, simple modification for immobilization to solid supports and enhanced selectivity. This articl...

Cyanotoxins: Bioaccumulation and Effects on Aquatic Animals

Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic prokaryotes with wide geographic distribution that can produce secondary metabolites named cyanotoxins. These toxins can be classified into three main types according to their mechanism of action in vertebrates: hepatotoxins, dermatotoxins and neurotoxins. Many studies on the effects of cyanobacteria and their toxins over a wide range of aquatic organisms, inclu...