Patent ID: 7943301

Claim:
An analyte sensor comprising: (a) a first oligonucleotide stem comprising a plurality of base pairs capable of permitting charge conduction along a length of said first stem; (b) a second oligonucleotide stem comprising a plurality of base pairs capable of permitting charge conduction along a length of said second stem; (c) a receptor site capable of binding said analyte, wherein said receptor site is an aptamer operatively connected to said first oligonucleotide stem and said second oligonucleotide stem; and (d) a charge flow inducer coupled to one of said first and second stems for triggering charge flow in at least one of said first and second stems, wherein said sensor is alterable between a first conformational state substantially impeding charge transfer between said first and second stems and a second conformational state permitting charge transfer between said first and second stems, wherein said sensor switches between said first conformational state and said second conformational state when said analyte binds to said receptor site.