Internal security of nations has become a lot more fluid and prone to unconventional threats, post-cold war. For early threat detection and mitigation, rapid, reliable and simple solutions are needed. Nucleic acid aptamers, as a part of new and emerging branch of biotechnology, offer one of the possible solutions. Nucleic acid aptamers are single-stranded DNA or RNA sequences that assume a specific conformation depending on their base pair sequences and tertiary folding. Conformation thus assumed by the aptamer is unique and can bind to complementary ligands via non-covalent bonds. The aptamers can bind to ligands, which range from small molecules to entire cells. However, here, chemicals of interest are those, which pose a security concern, e.g., explosives, narcotics and chemical warfare agents. Aptamers are both resistant to environmental extremes and are cheap in mass production. These properties make aptamers of interest in the field for threat detection and mitigation in national security. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that challenges involved in translation of this technology from the laboratory to the field be addressed as soon as possible, to realize the benefits of this technology for defense applications.

中文翻译：

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探索DNA / RNA适体在国家安全中的潜力

国家的内部安全变得更加不稳定，并且容易遭受冷战后的非常规威胁。为了早期检测和缓解威胁，需要快速，可靠和简单的解决方案。核酸适体作为生物技术新兴分支的一部分，提供了可能的解决方案之一。核酸适体是取决于其碱基对序列和三级折叠而呈现特定构象的单链DNA或RNA序列。适体因此假定的构象是独特的，并且可以通过非共价键与互补配体结合。适体可以结合配体，其范围从小分子到整个细胞。但是，这里所关注的化学品是那些引起安全隐患的化学品，例如炸药，麻醉品和化学战剂。适体既可抵抗极端环境，又可大量生产且价格便宜。这些特性使适配体成为国家安全中威胁检测和缓解领域中的关注对象。因此，至关重要的是尽快解决该技术从实验室到现场的转换所面临的挑战，以实现该技术在国防领域的优势。