Cell-SELEX-based aptamer-conjugated nanomaterials for cancer diagnosis and therapy

Hong-Min Meng,Ting Fu,Weihong Tan,Xiao-Bing Zhang

doi:10.1093/nsr/nwv001

Abstract

Abstract Nucleic acid aptamers, which are generated by a novel technique called SELEX (systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment), have recently attracted significant attention in the field of early detection and treatment of cancer based on their numerous merits, such as high affinity, high specificity, small size, little immunogenicity, stable structures, and ease of chemical modification. Furthermore, aptamers can gain more flexibility as cancer cell targeting tools when conjugated to nanomaterials, including metallic nanoparticles, carbon nanomaterials, DNA nanodevices, and polymeric nanoparticles. We discuss the progress achieved in cancer diagnosis and therapy through the conjugation of cell-SELEX-based aptamers with different nanomaterials.

Highlights

Despite prodigious advances in our understanding of the disease, cancer is the most pressing health concern today [1]
Nucleic acid aptamers, which are generated by a novel technique called SELEX, have recently attracted significant attention in the field of early detection and treatment of cancer based on their numerous merits, such as high affinity, high specificity, small size, little immunogenicity, stable structures, and ease of chemical modification
Cell-SELEX provides an effective approach to generate a large number of aptamer probes that target a variety of cancer cells

Summary

Introduction

Despite prodigious advances in our understanding of the disease, cancer is the most pressing health concern today [1]. We discuss the progress achieved in cancer diagnosis and therapy through the conjugation of cell-SELEX-based aptamers with different nanomaterials. We discuss the progress achieved in cancer diagnosis and treatment through the conjugation of cell-SELEX-based aptamers with different nanomaterials, including metallic NP, semiconductor nanocrystals (QDs), UCNPs, DNA nanodevices and polymeric NP.

Results

Conclusion