Nucleic acid aptamers: Research tools in disease diagnostics and therapeutics

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Abstract

Aptamers are short sequences of nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) or peptide molecules which adopt a conformation and bind cognate ligands with high affinity and specificity in a manner akin to antibody-antigen interactions. It has been globally acknowledged that aptamers promise a plethora of diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Although use of nucleic acid aptamers as targeted therapeutics or mediators of targeted drug delivery is a relatively new avenue of research, one aptamer-based drug "Macugen" is FDA approved and a series of aptamer-based drugs are in clinical pipelines. The present review discusses the aspects of design, unique properties, applications, and development of different aptamers to aid in cancer diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment under defined conditions. © 2014 Baby Santosh and Pramod K. Yadava.

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Santosh, B., & Yadava, P. K. (2014). Nucleic acid aptamers: Research tools in disease diagnostics and therapeutics. BioMed Research International. Hindawi Publishing Corporation. https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/540451

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