Recent advances in aptamer applications for analytical biochemistry

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Molecular Biology
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Aptamers are single-stranded DNA or RNA molecules (20-60 nucleotides) that bind targets with high affinity and specificity.
• Often called "synthetic antibodies," aptamers offer advantages in production cost, ease of generation, and versatility compared to traditional antibodies.
• The field of aptamer research, initiated in 1990, has seen continuous growth in scientific publications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent original research publications on aptamer applications from 2019 to April 2020.
• To categorize and exemplify diverse aptamer applications.
• To provide an outlook on future innovations driven by performance factors like speed, quality, and cost-efficiency.

Main Methods:

• A Google Scholar search was conducted to identify and rank relevant recent aptamer research.
• The review focused on application-based studies, excluding novel aptamer selection methods.
• Publications were categorized into nine distinct application areas with representative examples.

Main Results:

• The review identified and organized recent advancements in nine categories of aptamer applications.
• Representative examples illustrate the breadth and depth of current aptamer utility.
• The findings underscore the growing impact of aptamers across various scientific domains.

Conclusions:

• Aptamer technology continues to expand, with significant recent progress in diverse applications.
• Future innovations are expected to be driven by the pursuit of "faster, better, cheaper" performance metrics.
• Aptamers are poised to play an increasingly important role in biotechnology and molecular diagnostics.