title: [Aptamers in clinical diagnostics].
abstract: Aptamers are single-stranded DNA or RNA oligonucleotides selected in vitro from combinatorial libraries in a process called SELEX (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential Enrichment). Aptamers play a role of artificial nucleic acid ligands that can recognize and bind to various organic or inorganic target molecules with high specificity and affinity. They can discriminate even between closely related targets and can be easily chemically modified for radioactive, fluorescent and enzymatic labeling or biostability improvement. Aptamers can thus be considered as universal receptors that rival antibodies in diagnostics as a tool of molecular recognition. To date aptamers have been successively used instead of monoclonal antibodies in flow cytometry, immunochemical sandwich assays and in vivo imaging as well to detect wide range of small or large biomolecules.
authors.affiliation: UMK, Department of Histology and Embriology, L. Rydygier Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, 24 M. Karlowicza St., 85-092 Bydgoszcz, Poland. adam_szpechcinski@cm.umk.pl
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Szpechciński
authors.forename: Alina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Grzanka
mesh_terms: D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001681:Biological Assay / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D015374:Biosensing Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D002845:Chromatography / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D020650:Combinatorial Chemistry Techniques; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019020:Directed Molecular Evolution; D004355:Drug Stability; D019075:Electrophoresis, Capillary / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D009696:Nucleic Acids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D040901:Proteomics / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D012313:RNA / Q000627:therapeutic use; D052156:SELEX Aptamer Technique
chemical_list: D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded; D009696:Nucleic Acids; D012313:RNA