Application and development of aptamer in cancer: from clinical diagnosis to cancer therapy

Abstract

Traditional anticancer therapies can cause serious side effects in clinical treatment due to their nonspecific of tumor cells. Aptamers, also termed as 'chemical antibodies', are short DNA or RNA oligonucleotides selected from the synthetic large random single-strand oligonucleotide library by systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) to bind to lots of different targets, such as proteins or nucleic acid structures. Aptamers have good affinities and high specificity with target molecules, thus may be able to act as drugs themselves to directly inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells, or own great potentialities in the targeted drug delivery systems which can be used in tumor diagnosis and target specific tumor cells, thereby minimizing the toxicity to normal cells. Here we review the unique properties of aptamer represents a great opportunity when applied to the rapidly developing fields of biotechnology and discuss the recent developments in the use of aptamers as powerful tools for analytic, diagnostic and therapeutic applications for cancer.

ABL001, a Bispecific Antibody Targeting VEGF and DLL4, with Chemotherapy, Synergistically Inhibits Tumor Progression in Xenograft Models

“…Anti-VEGF therapy is known to normalize tumor blood vessels, leading to a more efficient delivery of cytotoxic anti-cancer agents into tumor tissues [ 28 , 29 ], hence, most anti-VEGF therapy are used in the clinic in combination with chemotherapy [ 3 , 30 ]. Based upon the rationale mentioned above, newly developing VEGF/VEGFR inhibitors of monoclonal or bispecific antibodies, small molecule compounds, aptamers, and VEGF-Traps, have been evaluated synergistic anti-cancer effects with chemotherapy in various preclinical models before entering clinical trials [ 27 , 31 , 32 ].…”

Recent Advances in Oligonucleotide Therapeutics in Oncology

“…In addition, aptamers can be used as antagonists of immune checkpoints such as PD-1 and PD-L1 to remodel immune responses, or as agonists of costimulatory receptors to activate related pathways [ 77 ]. Moreover, aptamers have been used in cancer diagnosis and detection due to their high affinity to targets resulting from the SELEX selection process [ 78 ]. Aptamers are selected to target cancer surface markers such as nucleolin and MUC1 or metastatic cell lines to detect various types of cancer or cancer metastasis [ 78 ].…”

“…Moreover, aptamers have been used in cancer diagnosis and detection due to their high affinity to targets resulting from the SELEX selection process [ 78 ]. Aptamers are selected to target cancer surface markers such as nucleolin and MUC1 or metastatic cell lines to detect various types of cancer or cancer metastasis [ 78 ]. Unmodified DNA/RNA aptamers are nuclease sensitive with poor serum stability in vivo [ 79 ].…”

“…For instance, nanoparticles protect encapsulated siRNAs from endogenous nuclease cleavage and assist in cellular uptake. Aptamer conjugates are another efficient approach to precisely direct oligonucleotide therapeutics [ 78 ].…”

Functional interplay between long non-coding RNAs and the Wnt signaling cascade in osteosarcoma

“…Exosomes are under development of delivery system. More attractively, nucleic-acid aptamers have been demonstrated as another promising target delivery method via specific cell surface receptors, which possessed higher cell-type specific and gene-editing effect [ 167 ].…”