Molecular Recognition

In efforts to improve the efficacy of diagnostic assays and therapeutic agents, precise molecular recognition of disease-specific markers remains a major hurdle. A common approach has leveraged antibodies for their biological affinity; improving the specificity and scalability of antibodies offers one area for improvement. Achieving precision health objectives will also require technologies beyond this one-size-fits all approach. New affinity reagents, ranging from synthetic capture technologies to DNA aptamers, offer minimal and synthetically tractable routes to target therapeutic payloads, achieve molecularly specific visualization during surgery, and improve the sensitivity of diagnostics assays through capture-mediated enrichment. Innovations in the development of instrumentation, imaging modalities, and spectroscopic techniques support and empower these approaches, enabling bias-free routes to achieve a holistic understanding and treatment of disease states with spatiotemporal precision.

Theme Leader: Matthew Webber