Molecular Locks

Detection

Molecular Locks:

• are as specific for nucleic acid targets as antibodies are for antigens
• are less expensive than antibodies to make and can be used in all the same formats (e.g., sandwich assays, in situ assays, etc.)
• can bind and immobilize a target nucleic acid without elaborate sample preparation
• can lock a double-stranded target directly without the use of a hybridizing probe
• may not violate sequence patents relating to the targets when no copy of the patented sequence is utilized
• may be used to make a signal-amplification polymer (“Booster”) that can be used to identify or count targets without target amplification (e.g., without PCR)