7.30.12-Bill Jackson PhD, CSO and founder of Base Pair has released an Application Note describing funded work done in 2009 with small molecule specific aptamers and FRET assays. There is a continuing need for more reliable, more sensitive and more economical methods in “field forward”and point-of-care applications. Because of their stability, low cost of synthesis, zero chemical variability,and the ability to be selected under non-physiological, conditions nucleic acid aptamers have a number of advantagesover other molecular recognition elements such as antibodies. For detection he explored a platform sensing chemistry based on rapidly responsive fluorescent resonance energy transfer, or FRET with DNA aptamers conjugated to quencher dyes. In particular, highly stable, highly fluorescent quantum dots were used in a sensing format compatible with readout by an inexpensive, portable, and yet highly sensitive fluorometer (Life Tech’s “Qubit™”). The Application Note can be found here DNA Aptamers and Quantum Dots for Portable FRET Sensing of Small Molecules and Other Targets