Isothermal titration calorimetry studies of aptamer-small molecule interactions: practicalities and pitfalls

Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) is a powerful technique for studying binding interactions. From a single ITC experiment it is possible to quantify the affinity and thermodynamics of a binding event. Here, we outline an experimental approach for performing ITC experiments with a focus on aptamer-small molecule interactions. We also discuss some common problems that can be encountered and how to resolve these issues.