New Publication

FluMag-SELEX derived specific individual aptamers can fluorescently label the ageing immanent protein-crosslinker glucosepane in diabetic mouse tissues. Li et al. Nanoscale Horiz., 2025, Advance Article, DOI: 10.1039/D5NH00263J

Over the past 30 years, aptamers have evolved from a scientific curiosity into reliable, versatile alternatives to antibodies and each new application strengthens their role in detection technologies. In this new publication by Runliu Li, Bastian Draphoen, Mika Lindén, Karmveer Singh, Karin Scharffetter-Kochanek, Andreas Stürmer, Frank Rosenau and Ann-Kathrin Kissmann, we introduce the first anti-glucosepane aptamer, Glu3, targeting a key glycation product linked to aging, diabetes, and tissue dysfunction. Developed by a FluMag-SELEX process, Glu3 was evolved, which binds glucosepane with high specificity and affinity. Most importantly, Glu3 enabled the first-ever direct, fluorescence-based histological staining of glucosepane in mouse tissue. This method distinguished diabetic from healthy samples without the need for secondary antibodies or enzyme conjugates. By combining speed, simplicity and precision, this work not only expands the toolkit for histological staining, but also showcases the growing promise of aptamer-driven technologies in biomedical research.

Link to publication: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2025/nh/d5nh00263j