Selection of aptamer for creatine Kinase-MM as a marker for muscular dystrophy and myocardial infarction

Creatine kinase-MM (CK-MM) is a relatively muscle-specific enzyme with a plasma half-life of approximately 2 h. Total creatine kinase elevation is evident in several conditions associated with acute muscle injury, severe muscular exertion, and myocardial infarction. The presence of a large amount of the CK-MM enzyme in blood serum is a biomarker of muscular injuries and cardiac assault. In this study, we developed a structure-switching aptamer that can be immobilized on a sensor to detect CK-MM. CK-BB was used as a counter-target to ensure the specific targeting of CK-MM. Melting-Off SELEX was employed to develop aptamers exhibiting significant structural changes on binding. The selected aptamer shows a high affinity towards CK-MM with a K_d value of 14.7 nM.