PNNL

Abstract

In vitro selection can yield specific, high-affinity aptamers. We and others have devised methods for the automated selection of aptamers, and have begun to use these reagents for the construction of arrays. Arrayed aptamers have proven to be almost as sensitive as their solution phase counterparts, and when ganged together can provide both specific and general diagnostic signals for proteins and other analytes. We describe here technical details regarding the production and processing of aptamer microarrays, including blocking, washing, drying, and scanning. We will also discuss the challenges involved in developing standardized and reproducible methods for binding and quantitating protein targets. While signals from fluorescent analytes or sandwiches are typically captured, it has proven possible for immobilized aptamers to be uniquely coupled to amplification methods not available to protein reagents, thus allowing for protein-binding signals to be greatly amplified. Into the future, many of the biosensor methods described in this book can potentially be adapted to array formats, thus further expanding the utility of and applications for aptamer arrays.