Enzyme-Free Amplification by Nano Sticky Balls for Visual Detection of ssDNA/RNA Oligonucleotides.

Visual detection of nucleic acids provides simple and rapid screening for infectious diseases or environmental pathogens. However, sensitivity is the current bottleneck, which may require enzymatic amplification for targets in low abundance and make them incompatible with detection at resource-limited sites. Here we report an enzyme-free amplification that provides a sensitive visual detection of ssDNA/RNA oligonucleotides on the basis of nano "sticky balls".