[Aptamers as perspective affine reagents for clinical proteomics]

Application of proteomic results to scientific and medical practice will depend in many respects on progress of affine microchips technologies that determine the continuous search for inexpensive and robust affine reagents alternative to monoclonal antibodies. Among synthetic mimetics of antibodies, the oligonucleotide aptamers are of the greatest interest as affine reagents due to the possibility to automate their selection and due to the low cost of oligonucleotide synthesis. In the review the problems related to the automation and optimization of aptamer selection and to the selection of photoaptamers capable to formation of photo-induced covalent complexes with protein targets have been considered. The existing approaches to the post-selection modification of the aptamers to increase theirs affinity and selectivity to protein targets are discussed.