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High-Performance Selection of Small-Molecule Nucleic Acid Aptamers and Their Applications
Qurat Ul Ain Zahra1,2,3, Xiaona Fang4, Han Guo2
1Biomedical Imaging Center, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China.
Analytical Chemistry
|June 4, 2025
Summary
Optimized aptamer screening (Capture-SELEX) drastically reduces selection rounds for small molecules. This method efficiently identifies aptamers for drug detection and biosensor development.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Molecular Biology
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Traditional aptamer screening for small molecules is inefficient, often requiring over 13 selection rounds.
- Existing methods face challenges with background noise and low efficacy, hindering practical applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To optimize the Capture-SELEX process for enhanced efficiency in aptamer screening against small-molecule targets.
- To develop high-affinity aptamers for specific small molecules and demonstrate their utility in biosensing applications.
Main Methods:
- Refined Capture-SELEX by extending capture sequence length and reducing self-dissociation rates.
- Utilized meperidine (MPD) as a model target for aptamer identification.
- Developed fluorescent biosensors incorporating MPD aptamers for detection in artificial saliva.
Main Results:
- Successfully identified MPD aptamers in just six rounds, a significant improvement over traditional methods.
- Validated the optimized method using multitarget mixed SELEX, yielding high-affinity aptamers.
- Developed a biosensor with a 60 nM detection limit for MPD in artificial saliva, demonstrating excellent specificity.
Conclusions:
- The optimized Capture-SELEX method significantly enhances screening efficiency for small-molecule aptamers.
- This advancement facilitates the development of aptamers for research and on-site drug detection.
- The developed biosensor shows practical utility for sensitive and specific detection of small molecules.
