Overview of proposed mechanisms of mixed monolayer degradation for electrochemical aptamer sensors. As illustrated in Figure , electrochemical aptamer sensors rely on a redox-molecule tagged aptamer with specific affinity-based binding capability to an analyte. When affinity-based binding to the analyte occurs, the aptamer undergoes a binding-induced conformational change. As the aptamer geometry changes, the redox-tag's availability for electron transfer with the electrode is altered and therefore is measurable as a change in electrochemical current. There have been numerous mechanisms proposed in recent literature regarding the degradation of electrochemical aptamer sensors, especially when deployed in complex media such a whole blood or raw undiluted serum. Part of the limitations of these previous studies is that they did not achieve multi-day results with fully functioning aptamer sensors and, if they did, there were a plurality of mechanisms rapidly degrading the sensor. Given a plurality of degradation mechanisms simultaneously occurring, it becomes highly difficult to isolate and observe individual degradation mechanisms and propose feasible solutions.