title: Aptamer-based environmental biosensors for small molecule contaminants.
abstract: Aptasensors are promising biosensors, which take advantage of using aptamers as a recognition element. The combination of the excellent characteristics of aptamers and the leading detection platform techniques, such as optical, electrochemical with nanomaterial-integrated, or mass-sensitive techniques with high sensitivity and specificity draws a promising view for the application of the aptasensors for the detection of harmful small toxic chemicals and real-time monitoring in the environments. In spite of attraction of aptasensors, application of them is limited to the complex environment due to the facts that how the immobilization of aptamers onto the surface affects the functions of aptamers and their structures for the detection of environmental contaminants are not clearly known. This review examines the most recent update on the selection of aptamers for small molecules, the development and application of aptasensors in the detection of small molecule contaminants in environment. Additionally, their applications to the real samples as environmental monitoring reported in the publications also are reviewed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Korea University, Anam-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-713, South Korea.
authors.forename: Van-Thuan
authors.initials: VT
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Korea University, Anam-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-713, South Korea.
authors.forename: Young Seop
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Korea University, Anam-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-713, South Korea. Electronic address: mbgu@korea.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Man Bock
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Gu
mesh_terms: D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide / Q000737:chemistry*; D015374:Biosensing Techniques; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide; D004785:Environmental Pollutants