Supplemental Reading

Our readings in this course have covered several topics, from the biochemistry taking place at the Origin of Life, to artificial evolution that creates RNA aptamers.


This review article by Darmostuk, et al. covers SELEX in much greater detail than we did during our lectures. Current approaches in SELEX: An update to aptamer selection technology

We have spoken about Dr. Jack Szostak and his work into aptamer development and SELEX. He won the Nobel Prize in 2009 with Elizabeth H. Blackburn and Carol W. Greider. 

• You can read about their Nobel prize by clicking here. 
• You can read his Nobel Prize winning work Cloning yeast telomeres on linear plasmid vectors.
• A great summary of the entirety of their work with telomeres is readable in the Cell article Beginning to Understand the End of the Chromosome

We covered Merrifield Solid Phase Synthesis at length, including mechanisms. Merrifield's initial Nobel Prize winning papers were published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

1. Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis. I. The Synthesis of a Tetrapeptide
2. Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis. II. The Synthesis of Bradykinin
3. Solid-Phase Peptide Synthesis. III. An Improved Synthesis of Bradykinin*

To learn more about solid phase synthesis, check out This Video and read about SOLID-PHASE OLIGONUCLEOTIDE SYNTHESIS.