A new program for SELEX sorting and visualization of aptamers

A recent Molecular Therapy Nucleic Acids publication describes a new and improve bioinformatic tool for aptamer sorting and identification from a large pool of possible sequences.1 Nucleic acid aptamers are single-stranded RNA and DNA polymers that fold into three-dimensional shapes, which facilitate their binding with high affinity to selected ligands.2 Aptamers sprung onto the molecular biology scene following the publication by Turek and Gold of a facile in vitro evolution technique termed SELEX (systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment).