The Polymer Society of Korea

Abstract

Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential enrichment (SELEX) is a widely used technique for isolating aptamers with high affinity and specificity to biological targets; however, conventional SELEX approaches are usually based on immobilized targets which often disrupt the native structure of targets and restrict access to their diverse surface epitopes. To overcome these limitations, we developed a three-dimensional aptamer selection platform in which aptamers are immobilized while target molecules freely diffuse within the matrix. In addition, we utilized microporous cryogelated hydrogels for enhancing target diffusion and accessibility to ultimately improve the efficiency of aptamer-target interaction. Overall, our platform may enable scalable, high-throughput discovery of aptamers under physiologically relevant conditions, representing a significant advancement over conventional SELEX systems.