Aptamers to Replace Antibodies for in vitro Diagnostics
A special issue of Biosensors (ISSN 2079-6374). This special issue belongs to the section "Biosensors and Healthcare".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2020) | Viewed by 19734
Special Issue Editors
Interests: surface functionalisation; development of cell biochips, bacteria biochips; cellular monitoring on-the-chip; surface treatments ensuring bio-compatibility; aptamer-based biochips
Interests: optoelectronic nose/tongue development; aptamer biosensors; surface plasmons resonance imaging; theory of microarrays (DNA or protein); biopolymer conformation; DNA based architectures; soft condensed matter
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Among the different detection modes, the gold standard for biomarkers remains the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Its development more than fifty years ago and its sensitivity explain its widespread use in diagnostic applications. In particular, ELISA consists of a sandwich over the target between a target-capturing antibody and a detection antibody. Furthermore, ELISA is generally associated to a secondary antibody to generate an enzymatically amplified signal. However, antibodies as probes convey various drawbacks. In addition to batch-to-batch variations in their production, specific antibodies are tedious, costly, and challenging to generate. Furthermore, their shelf life can limit their incorporation, as embedded reagents in medical devices and their chemical modifications are particularly difficult in order to develop alternatives to the traditional enzymatic amplifications. These problems highlight the need for an alternative to antibodies in order to improve or to bypass ELISA.
Since their discovery in 1990, aptamers have appeared as an ideal alternative to antibodies in diagnostic applications. Aptamers are short oligonucleotides selected from a large library of random sequences for their specificity towards a target (SELEX method). Their 3D conformation confers to aptamers strong sensitivity and selectivity. In vitro selection allows the recognition of a large variety of targets ranging from ions, small molecules, proteins up to cells. The large-scale in vitro synthesis of aptamers ensures the low-cost production of the future reagents with a large set of possible chemical modifications of sequences. Finally, their chemical stability provides numerous opportunities for their integration in point-of-care medical devices such as paper strips or microfluidic cartridges.
Despite all those advantages, up to now, aptamers have failed to replace antibodies. The aim of this Special Issue is to provide a state-of-the-art situation of the developments of aptamers as probes, the detection modes associated for in vitro diagnostics, and their integration in medical devices. Papers addressing the remaining challenges and hurdles still to overcome in order to access the IVD market are also welcome.
Dr. Yoann Roupioz
Dr. Arnaud Buhot
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- aptamers
- in vitro diagnostics (IVD)
- medical devices
- biomarkers
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