A team of researchers has developed an electronic biosensor based on DNA aptamers that can detect biomarkers in whole blood samples without the addition of reagents. As the team explains in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition, the DNA aptamers recognize marker proteins as efficiently as antibodies do, but are easier to prepare and more adaptable. The biosensor was able to detect clinically relevant levels of a marker protein for cardiovascular disease without any further sample preparation.