Fig. 1

Schematic illustration of the protocol for the obtainment of the final nanoplatforms. A Ir_en-AuSiO₂_COOH preparation by reverse microemulsion technique. Surfactant: 4-(1,1,3,3-Tetramethylbutyl)phenyl-polyethylene glycol; Mesna: sodium 2-mercaptoethanesulfonate; APTES: (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane; TEOS: tetraethoxysilane; capping agents: 11-Triethoxysilylundecanoic acid and N-(3-triethoxysilyl) propylsuccinic anhydride. B Covalent crosslinking strategy to achieve aptamers-nanoplatforms conjugates (Ir_en-AuSiO₂_Aptamer). EDC: N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-N′-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride; NHS: N-Hydroxysuccinimide. C Ir_en-AuSiO₂_Aptamer samples prepared and tested in this study