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. 2023 Jan 11;5(3):571–595. doi: 10.1039/d2na00483f

Summary of studies using aptamers as biosensors.

Cancer Biosensor Method Sensitivity, quality and quantity Advantage
Molt-4 cells198 Dual-aptamer (Sgc8c and ATP aptamers)-functionalized graphene oxide (DAFGO) complex Flow cytometry analysis, fluorescence imaging High targeting Sensitive and selective detection of Molt-4 cells
ALL cells199 Specific DNA aptamer sgc8c Topographic and recognition imaging (TREC) High density and homogeneous lateral distribution in ALL-cells Sensitive and selective detection of Molt-4 cells
CCl-119 cells180 Biotinylated aptamers in conjunction with metal-labeled neutravidin Mass cytometry, CyTOF experiments Differentiating positive, CCL-119, and negative, Ramos cell lines Successfully utilized for mass cytometry experiments on par with commercially available antibodies
Ramos cells179 Aptamer-nanoparticle strip biosensor (ANSB) SELEX (systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment) Detecting a minimum of 4000 Ramos cells without instrumentation and 800 Ramos cells with a portable strip reader A simple, rapid, and low-cost tool for both the qualitative and quantitative detection of cancer
T-ALL cells185 Aptamer-conjugated magnetic beads (apt-MBs) Magnet–QCM system The detection limit of 8 × 103 cells mL−1 for human acute leukemia cells Required no further labeling of cells, the potential for specific detection of various kinds of cancer cells
Ramos cells184 Self-assembled aptamer-micelle nanostructure (TDO5-micelle) Fluorescence shift About 0.005 nM or 5 nM, based on DNA-lipid concentration Rapid recognition ability with enhanced sensitivity and low critical micelle concentration
CCRF-CEM cells183 Single-stranded DNA aptamer Gold nanoparticle (Au NP) labeling with backscattered electron (BE) imaging of field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) Sensitive and reversible probes to label target biomolecules on cells. The high detection sensitivity of the colloidal probe method
HL-60 and CEM as AML and ALL cells182 Hierarchical assembly of dual aptamer functionalized, multilayered graphene–Au nanoparticle Electrodeposition The detection limit as low as 350 cells per mL, and a wide linear range Diagnostic tool for early detection and classification of human acute leukemia
CEM and Ramos cells200 QDs-bsb-apt Quantifying the fluorescence signal of the QDs CEM cells (71.6%) could be detected by employing the QDs-bsb-Sgc8 complex, while FITC-Sgc8 detected 57.5% of cells The detection efficiency of QDs-bsb-Sgc8 was 1.2-fold higher than that of the traditional organic dye modified aptamer FITC
CCRF-CEM cells201 Silver decahedral nanoparticle (Ag10NP)-based FRET (fluorescence resonance energy transfer) sensor (Ag10NP-based FRET sensor (Ag10-Sgc8-F/Q). FREF-based methods Highly sensitive and specific for CCRF-CEM cell imaging Simple, inexpensive, and convenient for target cell imaging.
CCRF-CEM cells21 Terbium(iii)-aptamer (Tb3+-apt) Fluorescence spectrophotometer The detection limit of 5 cells per ml of the binding buffer Rapid, sensitive, and economical diagnosis of various types of leukemia at the early stage
CCRF-CEM cells202 ZnO nanodisks(NDs)@g-C3N4 quantum dot conjugation to the Sgc8c aptamer Photoelectrochemical (PEC) The detection limit down to 20 cell per mL Wide detection range, low detection limit, excellent selectivity, and reproducibility
ALL186 Aptamer-based electrochemical nano-biosensor (graphitic carbon nitride (Au/g-C3N4 /aptamer nanocomposite) Gene detection (miRNA-128) The limit of detection of 0.0034 fM concentration of miRNA-128 detection Needed a short time (about 45 minutes) to detect miRNA-128 as a symptom of the disease
CEM cells and Ramos cells203 Aptamer-functionalized copolymer/TPdye fluorescent organic dots Two-photon imaging Tissue imaging up to 210 mm A powerful tool for cancer cell-targeted imaging