Advanced Selection Methodologies for DNAzymes in Sensing and Healthcare Applications

Authors

Sandeep Kumar, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and TechnologyFollow
Shikha Jain, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology
Neeraj Dilbaghi, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology
Amrik Singh Ahluwalia, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India
Ashraf Aly Hassan, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Ki-Hyun Kim, Hanyang UniversityFollow

Date of this Version

3-2019

Citation

Published in Trends in Biochemical Sciences, Vol. 44, No. 3 (March 2019), pp 190-213

doi:10.1016/j.tibs.2018.11.001

Comments

Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. Used by permission.

Abstract

DNAzymes have been widely explored owing to their excellent catalytic activity in a broad range of applications, notably in sensing and biomedical devices. These newly discovered applications have built high hopes for designing novel catalytic DNAzymes. However, the selection of efficient DNAzymes is a challenging process but one that is of crucial importance. Initially, systemic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) was a labor-intensive and time-consuming process, but recent advances have accelerated the automated generation of DNAzyme molecules. This review summarizes recent advances in SELEX that improve the affinity and specificity of DNAzymes. The thriving generation of new DNAzymes is expected to open the door to several healthcare applications. Therefore, a significant portion of this review is dedicated to various biological applications of DNAzymes, such as sensing, therapeutics, and nanodevices. In addition, discussion is further extended to the barriers encountered for the real-life application of these DNAzymes to provide a foundation for future research.