Aptamer based tools for environmental and therapeutic monitoring: A review of developments, applications, future perspectives

Nucleic acids in the form of aptamers play a growing and significant role in the targeted and rapid analysis of environmental sample composition and medical analyses. In this paper, the review of both aptamers synthesis methods as well as application of these short chain oligonucleotides (with critical comments on their strong and weak features) are given. The first ones include: systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX), high throughput aptamer identification screen (HAPIscreen), and a non-equilibrium capillary electrophoresis of equilibrium mixture (NECEEM). Afterwards, manuscript describes variety of sensors and biotests utilizing aptamers as active part of its action starting from electrochemical aptasensors, through optical to piezo-electric ones. Described biotests present basic developments in enzyme-linked apta-sorbent assays (ELASA) that can be performed with different variations (enzyme-linked aptamer assay (ELAA), enzyme-linked oligonucleotide assay (ELONA) and aptamer-linked immobilized sorbent assay (ALISA)). Next, the review presents advantages and drawbacks of recent aptameric developments in versatile laboratory applications, namely medical ones, as well as analytical and bioassays. Utilitarian development of aptasensors and aptamers would strongly benefit from an assembly of interdisciplinary teams containing chemists, physicists, biologists, medical doctors, and material and electronic scientists, to determine the most effective application methodologies.