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Updated: Jun 21, 2026
A Method for Selecting Structure-switching Aptamers Applied to a Colorimetric Gold Nanoparticle Assay
Published on: February 28, 2015
Aptamer-linked assay for thrombin using gold nanoparticle amplification and inductively coupled plasma-mass
Qiang Zhao1, Xiufen Lu, Chun-Gang Yuan
1Division of Analytical and Environmental Toxicology, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G 2G3.
Abstract:
We describe a sensitive and specific sandwich assay for human alpha-thrombin. The assay takes advantage of sandwich binding of two affinity aptamers for increased specificity, gold nanoparticles for signal amplification, magnetic beads for fast magnetic separation, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for ultrasensitive detection. Other proteins, such as immunoglobulin G, serum albumin, transferrin, fibrinogen, and lysozyme did not show interference with the assay for human alpha-thrombin. The detection limit of human alpha-thrombin was as low as 0.5 fmol, corresponding to 10 pM thrombin in 50 microL, and the dynamic range covered approximately 3 orders of magnitude.
