Aptamers are short nucleic acids that bind to defined targets with high affinity and specificity. The first aptamers have been selected about two decades ago by an in vitro process named SELEX (systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment). Since then, numerous aptamers with specificities for a variety of targets from small molecules to proteins or even whole cells have been select...

The development of SELEX (Selective Enhancement of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment) provides a powerful tool for the search of functional oligonucleotides with the ability to bind ligands with high affinity and selectivity (aptamers) and for the discovery of nucleic acid sequences with diverse enzymatic activities (ribozymes and DNAzymes). This technique has been extensively applied to the se...

The epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM, also known as CD326) is a transmembrane glycoprotein that is specifically detected in most adenocarcinomas and cancer stem cells. In this study, we performed a Cell systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) experiment to isolate the aptamers against EpCAM. After seven round of Cell SELEX, we identified several aptamer candida...

Over the last decade, aptamers have begun to find their way from basic research to diverse commercial applications. The development of diagnostics is even more widespread than clinical applications because aptamers do not have to be extensively modified to enhance their in vivo stability and pharmacokinetics in diagnostic assays. The increasing attention has propelled the technical progress of ...

The selectins are calcium-dependent C-type lectins that recognize complex anionic carbohydrate ligands, initiating many cell-cell interactions in the vascular system. Selectin blockade shows therapeutic promise in a variety of inflammatory and postischemic pathologies. However, the available oligosaccharide ligand mimetics have low affinities and show cross-reaction among the three selectins, p...

Aptamers, or single stranded oligonucleotides, are produced by systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment, abbreviated as SELEX. In the amplification and regeneration step of SELEX technique, dsDNA is conversed to ssDNA. Asymmetric PCR is one of the methods used for the generation of ssDNA. The purpose of this study was to design a random DNA library for selection of aptamers wit...

Diagnostics have taken on a larger role in patient care, with diagnostics for point-of-care testing (POCT) having greatly expanded during the last two decades. The expectation is that POCT will continue to grow because it can help to expand personalized therapy and theranostics, which will provide the right medicine to the right person, with the right dosage at the right time. For POCT, it will...