Aptamers: a promising chemical antibody for cancer therapy
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCUAbstract
Aptamers, also known as chemical antibodies, are single-stranded nucleic acid oligonucleotides which bind to their targets with high specificity and affinity. They are typically selected by repetitive in vitro process termed systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX). Owing to their excellent properties compared to conventional antibodies, notably their smaller physical size and lower immunogenicity and toxicity, aptamers have recently emerged as a new class of agents to deliver therapeutic drugs to cancer cells by targeting specific cancer-associated hallmarks. Aptamers can also be structurally modified to make them more flexible in order to conjugate other agents such as nano-materials and therapeutic RNA agents, thus extending their applications for cancer therapy. This review presents the current knowledge on the practical applications of aptamers in the treatment of a variety of cancers.
Journal
Oncotarget
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N/A
Volume
7
ISBN/ISSN
1949-2553
Edition
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Issue
12
Pages Count
18
Location
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Publisher
Impact Journals
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EISSN
N/A
DOI
10.18632/oncotarget.7178