Ebola Virus Aptamers: From Highly Efficient Selection to Application on Magnetism-Controlled Chips

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Molecular Biology
• Virology

Background:

• Aptamers are crucial for Ebola virus (EBOV) diagnostics and prevention, but their discovery has been limited.
• Developing efficient methods for aptamer selection against EBOV targets is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a highly efficient aptamer selection platform for EBOV using magnetism-controlled chips.
• To obtain high-performance aptamers for EBOV glycoproteins (GP) and nucleoproteins (NP).
• To demonstrate the application of these aptamers in sensitive EBOV detection.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a magnetism-controlled selection chip with stringent conditions (rigorous washing, precise magnetic bead manipulation, real-time evaluation).
• Performed aptamer selection for EBOV GP and NP proteins over three rounds.
• Applied the selected aptamers to a magnetism-controlled detection chip for EBOV detection.

Main Results:

• Achieved simultaneous selection of high-performance aptamers for EBOV GP and NP proteins in just three rounds.
• Obtained aptamers with dissociation constants (Kd) in the nanomolar range.
• Demonstrated successful EBOV detection with a limit of detection of 4.2 ng/mL.

Conclusions:

• The proposed magnetism-controlled aptamer selection platform significantly improves selection efficiency for EBOV targets.
• The developed aptamers are effective for sensitive EBOV detection, showing potential for point-of-care applications.
• This approach offers new strategies for EBOV prevention and control.