BioCentury
ARTICLE | Cover Story

Imaging with aptamers

March 17, 2011 7:00 AM UTC

Researchers at Hunan University have developed a method for synthesizing aptamer probes that fluoresce only when bound to their target.1 The group thinks its approach could be used to generate aptamers that improve the speed and sensitivity of early cancer detection.

Conventional molecular probes typically require a waiting period of hours following injectionto allow the probe to distribute to target tissues and for excess probe to exit the body before an imaging procedure. Despite that washout period, low levels of unbound probe remain in the body during the imaging procedure and decrease contrast and sensitivity...