Aptamers for Proteins Associated with Rheumatic Diseases: Advances, Challenges, and Prospects in Diagnostic and Therapeutic Applications

Nucleic acid aptamers, capable of affine and specific binding to their molecular targets, have become a very promising alternative to monoclonal antibodies in diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

Although research and development of aptamers in the biomedical field have primarily focused on cardiovascular, infectious, and malignant diseases, the use of aptamers as therapeutic or diagnostic tools in rheumatic diseases is equally important.

In this review, we consider the main characteristics of aptamers that make them valuable molecular tools in rheumatology. We also summarize relevant data on the selection and application studies of aptamers targeting rheumatic disease-associated protein biomarkers. Finally, we discuss the advances in aptamer-based diagnosis and targeted therapy for rheumatic diseases, the future prospects in this field, and the unresolved issues.

Reference：

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33266394/