Aptamer

Definition

Aptamers are oligomers of artificial ssDNA, RNA, XNA, or peptide that bind a specific target molecule, or family of target molecules. They exhibit a range of affinities, with variable levels of off-target binding and are sometimes classified as chemical antibodies. Aptamers and antibodies can be used in many of the same applications, but the nucleic acid-based structure of aptamers, which are mostly oligonucleotides, is very different from the amino acid-based structure of antibodies, which are proteins. This difference can make aptamers a better choice than antibodies for some purposes.

Related concepts

3D bioprinting A-amanitin Abscisic acid Academic journal Agonists Amanita Amino acid Amino acids Andrew D. Ellington Anti-thrombin aptamers Antibody mimetic Antitarget Assay Bacterial display Bacteriophage Qbeta Base pair Bioconjugation Biomarker Biomarker discovery Biomolecule Biopanning Biopsy Biosecurity Biosensor Biotechnology Biotin Bloodstream Bond cleavage Breast cancer C-terminus Cell culture Clearance (pharmacology)Coagulation Combinatorial chemistry Conformational change Controlled release DNA polymerase Dalton (unit)Denaturation (biochemistry)Deoxyribozyme Derivative (chemistry)Diagnostic imaging Directed evolution Dissociation constant Dopamine Drug delivery Drug delivery systems Drug discovery ELISA Environmental science Epidemiology Equilibrium constant Evgeny Nudler Eye Flow cytometry Fluorophore Gilead Sciences Greek language Growth factor HIV Half-life Heat shock factor Heavy metals Hemin High-throughput screening Hydrolysis Immunoassay Immunogenicity Immunohistochemistry In vitro In vivo Influenza A virus Influenza B virus Interferon γ Ion Jack Szostak Jack W. Szostak Kidneys Latin Ligand Ligand (biochemistry)Ligation (molecular biology)Lysozyme MRNA display Medical diagnosis Medical tests MimoDB Modified-release dosage Moiety (chemistry)Molecular binding Molecular engineering Molecular switch Molecular weight Monoclonality Mushroom Mutate N-terminus Natural selection Neologism Nick (DNA)Nuclease Nucleases Nucleic acid Nucleic acid hybridization Nucleic acid secondary structure Nucleic acid tertiary structure Nucleotide Oligomers Oligonucleotide Oligonucleotide synthesis Oligonucleotides Oncogene Organic dye Origin of life on Earth PEGylation Pegaptanib Peptide Peptide aptamers Peptide library Phage display Phenotype Polyclonal antibodies Polyethylene glycol Polymerase chain reaction Post-translational modification Precision medicine Prions Prostate specific antigen Proteins Proteomics Pyrimidines Quadrillion RNA RNA therapeutics RNA world hypothesis Rate constant Rational design Real-time polymerase chain reaction Receptor antagonist Regulation of gene expression Replicability Respiratory syncytial virus Ribosome display Riboswitch Ribozyme Ronald Breaker SARS-CoV-2 SARS coronavirus Sensitivity and specificity Serum (blood)SsDNA Streptavidin Synthetic antibody Systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment Tea Theophylline Three Rs (animal research)Thrombin Trans-activation response element (TAR)Two-hybrid system UV Urea Vascular endothelial growth factor Vascularization Western blot Xeno nucleic acid Yeast Yeast display

19 concepts already in your glossary