Patent ID: 8216446

Claim:
A method of detecting nucleic acid strands comprising labelling nucleic acid strands with redox markers and detecting the labeled strands via electrochemical detection of hybridization events, wherein a) single-stranded nucleic acid strands (target strands) are hybridized with one or more nucleic acid strands (protective strands A), wherein the protective strands A are shorter than the target strands in order to form partial double-stranded sections, b) wherein the remaining single-stranded sections of the target strands are labelled by reaction with redox markers, wherein the redox markers react selectively with double bond of the pyrimidine rings of the nucleic acid strands via Diels-Alder reaction, or wherein the redox markers are osmium (VII) complexes, c) wherein the labeled nucleic acid strands are hybridized on the surface of an electrode with probe strands immobilized there, with the protective strands A being displaced, and d) wherein the nucleic acid strands hybridized to the probe strands are then detected electroanalytically.