A general double library SELEX strategy for aptamer selection using unmodified nonimmobilized targets.

Aptamer discovery for unmodified nonimmobilized targets has been constantly presenting itself as a significant challenge to the research community. We demonstrate here a novel double library (DL) SELEX strategy and its usefulness and generality toward discovering both ssDNA- and RNA-based aptamers with nanomolar binding affinities toward unmodified targets of both small (e.g., doxycycline) and large (e.g., VEGF165 ) sizes. The same selection strategy further allows for concurrent selection of an aptamer pair, recognizing discrete epitopes on the same protein, from the same selection cycles for the sandwich aptamer pair-based biosensor development (e.g., one aptamer for the recognition and the other for the signal transduction). These results establish the DL-SELEX method developed here as a valuable and highly accessible selection strategy for aptamer discovery, especially when chemical modifications of target molecules are not preferred or simply impossible.