The Use of Functional Nucleic Acids in Solid-Phase Fluorimetric Assays

The past 15 years have seen a revolution in the area of functional nucleic acid (FNA) research since the demonstration that single-stranded RNA and DNA species can be used for both ligand binding and catalysis. An emerging area of application for such species is in the development of solid-phase fluorimetric assays for biosensing, proteomics, and drug screening purposes. In this chapter, the methods for immobilization of functional nucleic acids are briefly reviewed, with emphasis on emerging technologies such as sol-gel encapsulation. Methods for generating fluorescence signals from aptamers and nucleic acid enzymes are then described, and the use of such species in solid-phase fluorimetric assays is then discussed. Unique features of sol-gel based materials for the development of solid-phase assays are highlighted, and some emerging applications of immobilized FNA species are discussed.