Nucleic Acids: DNA and RNA

Nucleic acids are biomacromolecules that exist naturally in all the living organisms, and play fundamental roles in many biological processes such as catalysis of biochemical reactions and regulation of a plethora of cell activities (Cooper, The cell: a molecular approach. 2nd ed. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, 2000). Various types of nucleic acids have tremendous potential in medicine, in form of treatments and sensors for detection of ions, small molecules, amino acids, proteins, and cells (Thatcher, Principles and applications of molecular diagnostics. Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2018). They are used for gene regulation, bioimaging, drug delivery, and disease therapy (Thatcher, Principles and applications of molecular diagnostics. Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2018). In forensic science, nucleic acids have applications in identification, estimation of post-mortem interval, paternity and maternity tests, genealogy, toxicology, and pathology to name a few (Li, Forensic biology: identification and DNA analysis of biological evidence. CRC Press, Boca Raton, 2021).