Patent ID: 7037646

Claim:
A method for detecting the presence or absence of an RNA in a biological sample suspected of containing said RNA comprising selecting a compound capable of hybridizing with said RNA, contacting said sample with said compound, and identifying any hybrid of said compound and an RNA wherein said compound comprises a plurality of linked nucleosides, wherein: each nucleoside includes a ribofuranosyl sugar portion and a base portion; and at least one of said nucleosides bears at a 2′-O-position, a 3′-O-position, or a 5′-O-position a substituent having formula: —R A —N(R 1a )(R 1b ) where: each R A , independently, is a straight chain or branched hydrocarbon alkylene group including from 1 to about 10 carbon atoms or (CH 2 —CH 2 —Q) x ; R 1a and R 1b , independently, are H, R 2 , or have formula C(X)—R 2 , C(X)—R A —R 2 , C(X)—Q—R A —R 2 , or C(X)—Q—R 2 , provided R 1a and R 1b are not both H; R 2 is a folate, a steroid molecule, a reporter molecule, a lipophilic molecule, a reporter enzyme, a peptide, a protein, or has formula —Q—(CH 2 CH 2 —Q—) x —R 3 ; X is O or S; each Q is, independently, is NH, O, or S; x is 1 to about 200; R 3 is H, R A , C(O)OH, C(O)OR A , C(O)R 4 , R A —N3, or R A —NH 2 ; R 4 is Cl, Br, I, SO 2 R 5 or has structure: m is 2 to 7; and R 5 is alkyl having 1 to about 10 carbon atoms.