“CATALOG APTAMERS & REAGENTS” usually refers to ready-to-order, pre-characterized aptamer affinity binders and the supporting assay reagents that make those binders usable in real experiments (e.g., labeling, immobilization, buffers, and controls). Aptamers themselves are short, single-stranded DNA or RNA (or related chemistries) selected from very large libraries to bind a specific target with high affinity and specificity—often described as antibody-like binding, but built from nucleic acids and produced by chemical synthesis. 1) What Are Aptamers (and Why They Matter as Reagents)? Aptamers are single-stranded nucleic acids that fold into 3D structures capable of recognizing targets such as proteins, small molecules, ions, or even cells. They are typically discovered through SELEX (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential enrichment), an iterative selection process that enriches sequences that bind the desired target. What makes aptamers especially “catalog-friendly” is that once a sequence is known, it can be reliably reproduced by chemical synthesis, and easily chemically modified (for example, adding a fluorophore or biotin) to fit common assay formats. 2) “Catalog Aptamers” vs Custom Aptamer Discovery Catalog Aptamers (ready-to-order) Catalog aptamers are fixed, known sequences that have been previously selected and are sold as standard products. Their main value…
