Patent ID: 8071388

Claim:
An improved in vitro method for detecting a target analyte having two or more binding sites via nucleic acid-templated chemistry, wherein the improvement comprises: a) detecting the target analyte by producing a hemicyanine dye having the chemical formula: via an aldol condensation between an aldehyde having the chemical formula: and an active hydrogen component having the chemical formula: in an aqueous condition at room temperature in the presence of an organocatalyst wherein: Zâ€² is O, S, Se, P, NH 2 , N(alkyl), or C(CH 3 ) 2 ; n is 0, 1, or 2; R is H or alkyl; Râ€² is phenyl, N-heterocycle, H, alkyl, â€”SO 3 H, â€”OH, â€”CN, Cl, Br, â€”NO 2 , â€”NH 2 , â€”N(alkyl) 2 , or â€”O-alkyl; Râ€³ is a linked nucleic acid; Râ€²â€³ is a linked nucleic acid; and the organocatalyst is a secondary amine, a primary amine, or a bifunctional amine-acid catalyst, and b) detecting the hemicyanine dye, wherein production of the hemicyanine dye is indicative of the presence of the target analyte.