Surface Immobilization of Structure-Switching DNA Aptamers on Macroporous Sol−Gel-Derived Films for Solid-Phase Biosensing Applications

Structure-switching signaling aptamers (ss-aptamers) are single-stranded DNA molecules that are generated through in vitro selection and have the ability to switch between a duplex composed of a quencher-labeled DNA strand (QDNA) hybridized adjacent to a fluorophore label on the aptamer, and an aptamer-target complex wherein the QDNA strand is released, generating a fluorescence signal. While such species have recently emerged as promising …