The versatility of PCR, the gold standard for amplification of DNA targets, is hampered by the laborious, multi-step detection based on gel electrophoresis. We propose a one-step, one-tube method for the rapid (5 min) naked-eye detection of PCR products, based on controlled aggregation of gold nanoparticles. Our method is universal, instrument-free, and ultra-sensitive, as it could detect as low as 0.01 zeptomoles of HIV template DNA in an excess of interfering human genomic DNA.
Keywords: DNA detection; colorimetric sensing; gold nanoparticles; polymerase chain reaction.
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