Nucleic Acid-Based Sensors

The interest of scientific world in nucleic acid biosensors increased enormously in the recent years. In this article the recent advances and trends in the use of nucleic acids for the development of biosensors are described. NA biosensors are reviewed as NA-based affinity biosensors (genosensors, aptasensors), NA biosensors for the detection of chemically induced DNA damage, and NA-based catalytic biosensors. In particular, after a brief introduction that covers the general definition of a biosensor and in particular of a NA-based biosensor, specific sections are devoted to describe these different topics. Thus a paragraph is devoted to genosensor, their development, and their analytical applications also including some practical tips and info regarding sample treatment. Aptamers, their selection procedure, their properties, and their analytical applications are also described. The use of NA-based sensor is also reviewed in terms of DNA damage. Finally examples of biosensors based on the evaluation of the catalytic properties of NAs are discussed.