“Aptamer fields” can be understood as the interconnected research and application areas where aptamers—short, single-stranded DNA or RNA molecules—are designed and used as highly selective binding agents (often described as “chemical antibodies”) for targets ranging from proteins and small molecules to whole cells. This article explains what defines the aptamer fields, how aptamers are created, where they’re used, and what technical trends are shaping the space. 1) What Are Aptamers (and Why They Matter in Aptamer Fields)? Aptamers are typically ~20–100 nucleotides long and fold into 3D structures that bind specific targets with high affinity and specificity. Unlike antibodies (biological proteins), aptamers are nucleic acids, which affects how they are discovered, synthesized, modified, and integrated into devices. Key reasons aptamers have become a “field” rather than a niche tool: Programmability: sequence-controlled design and chemical modification Manufacturability: scalable synthesis routes compared with biological production Versatility: diagnostics, biosensing, therapeutics, imaging, and research reagents 2) The Core Engine: SELEX and How Aptamers Are Discovered Most aptamers are generated using SELEX (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential enrichment), an iterative in-vitro selection process that enriches sequences that bind a chosen target. In common workflows, a large random library is…
“Diagnostics and Therapeutics” is the paired engine of modern healthcare: diagnostics generate actionable evidence about what is happening in the body, and therapeutics use that evidence to choose (and adjust) interventions that improve outcomes. As medicine becomes more data-rich—through molecular testing, advanced imaging, and continuous monitoring—the relationship between diagnostics and therapeutics is shifting from a linear “test-then-treat” workflow to a dynamic feedback loop that refines decisions over time. 1) What “Diagnostics” Means (Beyond Simply Naming a Disease) In clinical practice, diagnostics refers to the tools and methods used to detect, characterize, and track disease-related signals. Importantly, diagnostics is not a single test—it’s a system of evidence that supports decisions across the entire care pathway: Screening diagnostics: detect risk or early disease signals before symptoms are obvious. Diagnostic confirmation: distinguish between conditions with similar presentations. Prognostic diagnostics: estimate likely disease course and severity. Predictive diagnostics: forecast whether a patient is likely to benefit from a specific therapy (a key concept in precision medicine). Monitoring diagnostics: measure response, relapse, or adverse effects over time, enabling treatment adjustment. Major diagnostic categories used today Clinical laboratory diagnostics (blood, urine, tissue, etc.) and medical imaging are foundational, but the fastest-growing…
