ABSTRACT
Nucleic acids are a popular target for biosensors and bioanalytical devices. Unlike proteins, lipids, or carbohydrates, nucleic acids have extremely high information content and are relatively stable across a range of temperature and chemical conditions. Furthermore, nucleic acids contain sequence information that can reveal the identity of an organism or genetic changes that re¯ect disease status or mutation. For these reasons, thousands of diŸerent biosensing strategies have been developed for nucleic acid detection and analysis. Currently, many of these strategies incorporate nanotechnology or nanostructures. Nanoscale devices and materials have unique surface, electronic, optical, and mechanical properties that can increase device sensitivity and reduce analysis time. —erefore, much eŸort has been placed on using nanotechnology for improvement of nucleic acid biosensing.
