Highly Efficient Selections and Applicable Utilizations of Aptamers as Molecular Recognition Elements

Aptamers as novel molecular recognition elements and highly sensitive and specific aptamer-based chemical or biosensors (aptasensors) have evolved rapidly in recent years with numerous potential applications for medical, food integrity and environmental researches, however, the timely selection of aptamers against specific target molecules and successfully development of robust aptasensors still face great challenges, highly efficient selection of aptamers with good affinity and specificity and development of aptasensors as complementary analytical tools for applicable utilization are crucial missions of contemporary analytical chemistry thereof.

This Research Topic intends to present the cutting-edge of aptamer discovery or selection strategies with various SELEX protocols, as well as novel aptasensors developed for applicable utilization in medical, food, environmental, or related fields. This collection welcomes researches presenting first-hand experimental data in aforementioned fields based on a good reference of earlier research practices, and also encourages researchers to develop aptasensors integrated with rational aptamer engineering schemes e.g. sequence truncation, elongation, circularization and certain advanced functional materials for better analytical performance.

This collection will be an interdisciplinary research album focusing on valuable research from aptamer selection and aptasensor's development practices, we cordially welcome high-quality original research and review papers addressing this topic. Possible research themes include, but are not limited to:
1. Fundamental studies of aptamer chemistry and aptamer-based sensing mechanism
2. Frontier aptamer selection and characterization practices
3. Relevant aptamer engineering practices to better tune the length/structure of the nucleotide sequences to acquire better target affinity and analytical performance
4. Applicable utilizations of optical, electrochemical or other aptasensors
5. Aptamer and aptasensors for clinical diagnosis or POCT utilization
6. Aptamer and aptasensors for analysis of food contaminants or environmental pullutants
7. Aptamers integrated with advanced functional nanomaterials for better performance
8. Aptamers and aptasensors utilized for sample pretreatment or rapid analysis
9. Aptamers and aptasensors for visualization practices

Keywords: SELEX, aptamer, aptasensor, selection, affinity, detection, visualization

Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.