Aptamers: Novel Therapeutics and Potential Role in Neuro-Oncology

Overview

Journal Cancers (Basel)

Publisher MDPI

Specialty Oncology

Date 2020 Oct 14

PMID 33050158

Citations 10

Authors

Paola Amero

Soumen Khatua

Cristian Rodriguez-Aguayo

Gabriel Lopez-Berestein

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

A relatively new paradigm in cancer therapeutics is the use of cancer cell-specific aptamers, both as therapeutic agents and for targeted delivery of anticancer drugs. After the first therapeutic aptamer was described nearly 25 years ago, and the subsequent first aptamer drug approved, many efforts have been made to translate preclinical research into clinical oncology settings. Studies of aptamer-based technology have unveiled the vast potential of aptamers in therapeutic and diagnostic applications. Among pediatric solid cancers, brain tumors are the leading cause of death. Although a few aptamer-related translational studies have been performed in adult glioblastoma, the use of aptamers in pediatric neuro-oncology remains unexplored. This review will discuss the biology of aptamers, including mechanisms of targeting cell surface proteins, various modifications of aptamer structure to enhance therapeutic efficacy, the current state and challenges of aptamer use in neuro-oncology, and the potential therapeutic role of aptamers in pediatric brain tumors.

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