Work

Aptamer-driven PS-THSP strategy for rapid and highly sensitive detection of ATP

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: We developed an aptamer-mediated system that enables rapid, sensitive, and discriminative quantification of ATP by utilizing phosphorothioate-terminal hairpin formation and self-priming extension (PS-THSP). In this method, the aptamer hairpin probe (AptHP), a key component, binds to ATP through its aptamer moiety, causing disruption of the hairpin structure. This conformational change prevents degradation by the double-strand-specific exonuclease, Exonuclease III, which in turn leads to PS-THSP-based signal amplification. The system exhibited excellent sensitivity with a detection limit of 107 nM and high specificity against structurally similar ATP analogues, completing the entire detection process within 25 minutes. We further demonstrated that this novel platform can reliably quantify ATP in diluted human serum with high accuracy and reproducibility, verifying its potential for practical application in heterogeneous biological and clinical samples. The platform can also be readily adapted to detect various target molecules by simply replacing the aptamer sequence, providing a simple yet robust framework for biosensing.

Source: Sensors and Actuators Reports

DOI: 10.1016/j.snr.2026.100475

Authors: Soobin Lee, Yuri Jo, Junhyeok Yoon, Aram J. Chung, Hyun Gyu Park

Institutions: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Korea University

Language: English

Topic: Advanced biosensing and bioanalysis techniques

Subfield: Molecular Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,430

Funders: Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, National Research Foundation of Korea, Ministry of Science and ICT, South Korea