Patent ID: 7906280

Claim:
A method of generating single-chain fluorescence resonance energy transfer (“FRET”)-aptamers that contain both fluorophores and quenchers in the same single-stranded oligonucleotides, comprising: incorporating fluorophores and quenchers into an aptamer population using polymerase chain reaction (“PCR”) wherein at least one of said fluorophores and at least one of said quenchers are incorporated into some of said oligonucleotides at random locations in the interior of said oligonucleotides; exposing said aptamer population to a population of target molecules; and separating, in a first separating step, those FRET-aptamers that have bound to a target molecule and which emit minimal detectable fluorescence prior to binding said target molecule but emit increased detectable fluorescence after binding said target molecule, from the remaining aptamer population.