Abstract: The invention concerns prodrugs wherein the drug converts from its inactive form to its active form due to catalytic activity of nucleic acid sequences associated with the prodrug.

Abstract: A nucleic acid molecule is provided which is initially catalytically inactive but which can complex with a specific co-factor, e.g., a nucleic acid molecule or a non-nucleic acid molecule, to form a catalytically active nucleic acid molecule. The catalytically active nucleic acid molecule can be used to detect the presence of a non-nucleic acid co-factor or of a nucleic acid co-factor using the nucleic acid sequence of the present invention.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a method for detecting the presence of a catalytically active ribozyme in a medium. The detection of the catalytically active ribozyme may be a goal by itself, or the ribozyme may serve as a reporter for the presence of other biomolecules in an assayed sample. The detection is carried out in a catalytic system wherein the presence of the active ribozyme serves to produce other active ribozymes in a positive-feedback amplificatory manner.

Abstract: A method for increasing the specificity of hybridization between a nucleic acid probe and a nucleic acid sequence to be detected, by addition of blocker molecules, which are complementary to the probe, raise of temperature in order to melt non-perfectly matched hybrids of probe and detected nucleic acid sequences, and lowering of the temperature again.

Abstract: A method for detecting the presence of an assayed nucleic acid sequence in a sample is an essentially two stage-procedure. As illustrated, in a first stage the sample is reacted in a manner which gives rise to the production of a triggering oligonucleotide where the sample contains the assayed sequence. In the second stage, the reaction product is incubated under appropriate conditions with an amplification system whereby, in the presence of triggering oligonucleotide, a large amount of a nucleic acid product is obtained. The detection of this product thus indicates the presence of the assayed sequence in the sample.

Abstract: A method for detecting the presence of an assayed nucleic acid in a sample is an essentially two-stage procedure. In a first stage the sample is reacted in a manner which gives rise to the production of a triggering RNA where the sample contains the assays sequence. In the second stage, the reaction product is incubated under appropriate conditions with an amplification reagent ensemble whereby, in the presence of triggering RNA a large amount of a nucleic product is obtained. The detection of this product thus indicates the presence of the assayed sequence in the sample.