17th July 2019
Small molecules present an ongoing challenge for antibody production and detection. Development of biosensors for the detection of small molecules is difficult due to the lack of suitable antibodies and the relatively small signals. Tools to detect and quantify them are therefore in high demand.
At Aptamer Group we select aptamers that bind to […]
2nd July 2019
Detecting and quantifying small molecule analytes can be difficult. Our specially designed displacement approach allows us to select aptamers which can directly be used in various biosensor platforms for the detection of small molecules. Binding of the aptamer to the analyte gives a ‘signal amplification’ effect which can be used as a basis for small […]
18th June 2019
Kanamycin is an aminoglycoside antibiotic isolated from Streptomyces kanamyceticus and is widely used to treat various infectious diseases in humans and animals. However, like other aminoglycoside antibiotics, kanamycin exhibits comparatively narrow safety margin as high doses can cause ototoxicity, nephrotoxicity and allergic reactions.
The current methods used for analysis for detecting kanamycin levels in […]
7th May 2019
Glycosylation is a post-translational modification where a carbohydrate is added to a protein. Glycosylation of proteins serves a number of functions in a cell, including: improve protein folding, forming lipid anchors and cell-to-cell adhesion. While glycosylation of a protein can be vital for its function, any changes in the position or number of […]
2nd April 2019
Background:
Post Translational Modifications (PTM) are biochemical variations of cetain amino acids made to a protein after biosynthesis. These modifications diversify the proteome and play a fundamental role in regulation and targeting of proteins, their interactions with other molecules, as well as their structure, activity and function. Common types of post-translational modifications include phosphorylation, […]
9th August 2018
Aptamers continue to demonstrate advantages in platforms and applications which require specific detection of small molecule targets.
There has been a growth in the use of point of care devices across a range of applications and assay types due to a need for rapid and reliable analysis (Vashist 2017). Aptamers are perfectly suited for […]
1st August 2018
Scientists from the Technical University of Denmark, led by Krishna Kant have published a new review in Biotechnology Advances including aptamer-based approaches for the rapid detection of food-borne pathogens.
Food borne diseases, caused by the consumption of foods contaminated with pathogens or their toxins, are one of the major burdens to public health, causing […]
22nd June 2018
Introduction:
Changes in hormone levels can be key indicators to a variety of issues, examples include testosterone levels in general health and well being(1) and diagnosing Cushing’s disease involving the steroid cortisol (2). While these small molecules and others are well documented and their role in health and disease is becoming better understood, researchers […]
4th May 2018
Development of biosensors for the detection of small molecules is notoriously difficult due to the lack of suitable antibodies and the relatively small signals, which result upon small molecule binding to them. At Aptamer Group we select aptamers that bind to small molecules with high specificity and undergo a substantial conformational change that gives […]
11th July, 2017
Last week we began to discuss how aptamers can be used in biosensors. If you missed this, you can read it here.
Today we outline two more strategies for utilising aptamers in biosensors.
Target Induced Displacement Mode
Target Induced Displacement (TID) mode uses an aptamer anchored via a complementary oligo, localising the target binding aptamer. When […]
