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Nucleic Acid and Peptide Aptamers: Fundamentals and Bioanalytical Aspects
Author(s) -
Mascini Marco,
Palchetti Ilaria,
Tombelli Sara
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201006630
Subject(s) - aptamer , nucleic acid , bioanalysis , nanotechnology , computational biology , biochemical engineering , combinatorial chemistry , chemistry , computer science , biology , engineering , materials science , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry
In recent years new nucleic acid and protein‐based combinatorial molecules have attracted the attention of researchers working in various areas of science, ranging from medicine to analytical chemistry. These molecules, called aptamers, have been proposed as alternatives to antibodies in many different applications. The aim of this Review is to illustrate the peculiarities of these combinatorial molecules which have initially been explored for their importance in molecular medicine, but have enormous potential in other biotechnological fields historically dominated by antibodies, such as bioassays. A description of these molecules is given, and the methods for their selection and production are also summarized. Moreover, critical aspects related to these molecules are discussed.