Aptamer-engineered (nano)materials hold significant promise in the field of theranostics

In the 2023 article, "Aptamer-Engineered Nanomaterials for Theranostic Applications," by Rabiee et al., the authors thoroughly explore the biomedical applications of combining aptamers with nanomaterials, particularly in theranostics (integrated therapeutic and diagnostic technology). Aptamers, being small nucleic acid molecules, are highlighted as promising alternatives to antibodies due to their high targeting specificity and structural flexibility.

The article points out several advantages of aptamers over traditional antibodies. Firstly, their chemical synthesis allows for lower production costs and better reproducibility. Additionally, aptamers exhibit lower immunogenicity, higher stability in various environments, and more effective tissue penetration due to their small size, making them particularly promising for medical applications.

The paper emphasizes the applications of aptamers when combined with various nanomaterials, including gold nanoparticles, carbon-based nanostructures, and liposomes. Aptamer-modified nanomaterials significantly enhance the precision of targeted drug delivery, reducing effects on non-target cells while simultaneously improving drug stability and function in vivo. Furthermore, the integration of aptamers with nanomaterials for theranostic applications is a major focus. This technology can not only detect cancer biomarkers but also precisely deliver drugs to cancer cells via aptamer-modified nanoparticles and serve as imaging agents for real-time monitoring of treatment effects, achieving both diagnostic and therapeutic functions.

Aptamer-engineered materials are also applied in photodynamic and photothermal therapies. These therapies leverage the targeting properties of aptamers to guide nanomaterials to specific cancer cells, using light energy to convert into heat or generate reactive oxygen species to kill cancer cells, thus providing a non-invasive treatment method.

Despite the significant potential of these technologies, the authors also highlight existing challenges, such as the need for further improvement in aptamer stability in vivo and their high binding affinity in complex biological environments. Future research should focus on structural modifications and the application of bioinformatics techniques to overcome these challenges and further enhance the efficacy of aptamers in medical applications.

This literature comprehensively summarizes the applications of aptamer-modified nanomaterials in the field of precision medicine, especially their broad potential in cancer diagnosis and treatment, providing an important reference for future research.

Reference：

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37908725/