Chapter 8 - Protein Assay Based on Protein–Small Molecule Interaction

Abstract

Small molecule ligands, which can bind to a protein of interest with high affinity and specificity, are a burgeoning kind of recognition element in nano-inspired biosensors for protein assay. Similar to most other recognition molecules mentioned in previous Chapters, small molecule ligands are also unable to respond to target protein binding in a measurable way. To resolve this problem, rationally designed and engineered small molecule ligand-based probes, such as small molecule-tethered chemical probes and small molecule-linked DNA probes, have been rapidly developed and found successful applications in detecting disease protein biomarkers. This chapter aims to provide an overview of the latest advances in this field by detailing a number of representative biosensors according to the category of small molecule ligand-based probes.