Patent ID: 8323910

Claim:
A method for separating protected from fully deprotected synthetic oligonucleotides, comprising: contacting a mixture of protected and fully deprotected synthetic oligonucleotides to an antibody, wherein said protected synthetic oligonucleotides have said organic protecting group covalently bound thereto, so that said protected synthetic oligonucleotides bind to said antibody; and then separating said antibody from said fully deprotected synthetic oligonucleotides; which antibody specifically binds to a synthetic oligonucleotide having an organic protecting group covalently bound thereto, which antibody does not bind to said synthetic oligonucleotide when said organic protecting group is not covalently bound thereto; wherein said oligonucleotide contains a protected nucleotide according to Formula (I): wherein: (i) said protected nucleotide of Formula I is a 3′ nucleotide; R is a covalent bond to an adjacent nucleotide; R 1 is a protecting group; R 2 is H or —OH; R 4 is absent; and base is a purine or pyrimidine base; or (ii) R is a covalent bond to an adjacent nucleotide; R 1 is a covalent bond to an adjacent nucleotide; R 2 is —OR 3 ; R 3 a protecting group; R 4 is absent; and base is a purine or pyrimidine base; or (iii) R is a covalent bond to an adjacent nucleotide; R 1 is a covalent bond to an adjacent nucleotide; R 2 is H or —OH; Base is a purine or pyrimidine base; and R 4 is a protecting group bonded to an amino group of said base.