ArticleScientific reports2026
A framework for the development and validation of an aptamer-based assay for pathogen detection using SARS-CoV-2 as a model.
Article in Scientific reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed major disparities in global diagnostic capacity, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where reliance on conventional assays and external technologies hindered rapid response. Aptamers offer a promising alternative; however, practical and experimentally validated frameworks that connect aptamer discovery to assay development and evaluation in LMIC settings remain limited. Here, we present an integrated and stepwise framework and its feasibility for developing and validating aptamer-based testing tools using SARS-CoV-2 as a model. Native viral particles served as targets in a nine-round systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) protocol optimized for low- to medium-complexity laboratories. High-throughput sequencing and bioinformatic analyses identified candidate sequences, which were then experimentally assessed under defined experimental conditions. The top-performing aptamer, APT-35b, was incorporated into a DNA aptamer-based qPCR assay (Apta-qPCR). When evaluated using 475 clinical samples, the Apta-qPCR achieved 80.8% sensitivity and 95.3% specificity for Omicron BA.1/BA.1.1, with no cross-reactivity to other human coronaviruses. However, performance decreased for more evolved Omicron subvariants (n = 68). This framework offers a practical and adaptable roadmap that links aptamer discovery with functional assay development and can be applied to diverse pathogens, ultimately supporting enhanced diagnostic preparedness and response capacity.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.