Development of a novel ssDNA aptamer targeting neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and its application in clinical trials

Background Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) is a promising biomarker of early diagnosis and prediction for acute kidney injury (AKI). However, the current program for NGAL detection is not extensively applied in clinics due to the high expense of antibodies. Nucleic acid aptamers are single-strand DNAs or RNAs which could bind to targets with high specificity and affinity, and they have been widely used in the diagnosis and therapy for multiple diseases. It is valuable for us to develop a new method for NGAL detection using aptamers instead of antibodies to achieve increased efficiency and decreased cost.