Title:Aptamer-based Emerging Tools for Viral Biomarker Detection: A Focus
on SARS-CoV-2
Volume: 30
Issue: 8
Author(s): Prabir Kumar Kulabhusan, Parsa Pishva, Eda Çapkın, Prajakta Tambe and Meral Yüce*
Affiliation:
- Sabanci University, SUNUM Nanotechnology
Research, and Application Centre, Istanbul, 34956, Turkey
Keywords:
Aptamers, biomarkers, biosensors, viruses, SARS-CoV-2, MERS-CoV.
Abstract: Viral infections can cause fatal illnesses to humans as well as animals. Early
detection of viruses is therefore crucial to provide effective treatment to patients. Recently,
the Covid-19 pandemic has undoubtedly given an alarming call to develop rapid and
sensitive detection platforms. The viral diagnostic tools need to be fast, affordable, and
easy to operate with high sensitivity and specificity equivalent or superior to the currently
used diagnostic methods. The present detection methods include direct detection of viral
antigens or measuring the response of antibodies to viral infections. However, the sensitivity
and quantification of the virus are still a significant challenge. Detection tools employing
synthetic binding molecules like aptamers may provide several advantages over
the conventional methods that use antibodies in the assay format. Aptamers are highly stable
and tailorable molecules and are therefore ideal for detection and chemical sensing applications.
This review article discusses various advances made in aptamer-based viral detection
platforms, including electrochemical, optical, and colorimetric methods to detect
viruses, specifically SARS-Cov-2. Considering the several advantages, aptamers could
be game-changing in designing high-throughput biosensors for viruses and other biomedical
applications in the future.