Dressed for success - applying chemistry to modulate aptamer functionality

Aptamers entered the stage in the early 1990s. Since then they have proven to be versatile tools for molecular biology and biomedical sciences. The combination of chemical synthesis with aptamer generation and post-SELEX modification now provides means for adapting these nucleic acids to almost every desired application and to tune their properties as required. In this review we discuss chemical approaches towards aptamer variation.