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Pharmaceuticals
Volume 11
Issue 4
10.3390/ph11040093
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Review

Molecular Application of Aptamers in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Cancer and Communicable Diseases

by
Philisiwe Fortunate Molefe
1,
Priscilla Masamba
1,
Babatunji Emmanuel Oyinloye
1,2,
Londiwe Simphiwe Mbatha
1,
Mervin Meyer
3 and
Abidemi Paul Kappo
1,*
1
Biotechnology and Structural Biochemistry (BSB) Group, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Science and Agriculture, University of Zululand, KwaDlangezwa 3886, South Africa
2
Department of Biochemistry, College of Sciences, Afe Babalola University, PMB 5454, Ado-Ekiti 360001, Nigeria
3
DST/Mintek Nanotechnology Innovation Centre, Biolabels Node, Department of Biotechnology, University of the Western Cape, Bellville 7535, South Africa
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Pharmaceuticals 2018, 11(4), 93; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph11040093
Submission received: 18 July 2018 / Revised: 20 September 2018 / Accepted: 24 September 2018 / Published: 28 September 2018
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aptamer-Based Diagnostics and Therapeutics)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Cancer and infectious diseases such as Ebola, HIV, tuberculosis, Zika, hepatitis, measles and human schistosomiasis are serious global health hazards. The increasing annual morbidities and mortalities of these diseases have been blamed on drug resistance and the inefficacy of available diagnostic tools, particularly those which are immunologically-based. Antibody-based tools rely solely on antibody production for diagnosis and for this reason they are the major cause of diagnostic delays. Unfortunately, the control of these diseases depends on early detection and administration of effective treatment therefore any diagnostic delay is a huge challenge to curbing these diseases. Hence, there is a need for alternative diagnostic tools, discovery and development of novel therapeutic agents. Studies have demonstrated that aptamers could potentially offer one of the best solutions to these problems. Aptamers are short sequences of either DNA or RNA molecules, which are identified in vitro through a SELEX process. They are sensitive and bind specifically to target molecules. Their promising features suggest they may serve as better diagnostic agents and can be used as drug carriers for therapeutic purposes. In this article, we review the applications of aptamers in the theranostics of cancer and some infectious diseases.
Keywords: aptamers; cancer; diagnostics; therapeutics; infectious diseases; SELEX aptamers; cancer; diagnostics; therapeutics; infectious diseases; SELEX

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MDPI and ACS Style

Molefe, P.F.; Masamba, P.; Oyinloye, B.E.; Mbatha, L.S.; Meyer, M.; Kappo, A.P. Molecular Application of Aptamers in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Cancer and Communicable Diseases. Pharmaceuticals 2018, 11, 93. https://doi.org/10.3390/ph11040093

AMA Style

Molefe PF, Masamba P, Oyinloye BE, Mbatha LS, Meyer M, Kappo AP. Molecular Application of Aptamers in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Cancer and Communicable Diseases. Pharmaceuticals. 2018; 11(4):93. https://doi.org/10.3390/ph11040093

Chicago/Turabian Style

Molefe, Philisiwe Fortunate, Priscilla Masamba, Babatunji Emmanuel Oyinloye, Londiwe Simphiwe Mbatha, Mervin Meyer, and Abidemi Paul Kappo. 2018. "Molecular Application of Aptamers in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Cancer and Communicable Diseases" Pharmaceuticals 11, no. 4: 93. https://doi.org/10.3390/ph11040093

APA Style

Molefe, P. F., Masamba, P., Oyinloye, B. E., Mbatha, L. S., Meyer, M., & Kappo, A. P. (2018). Molecular Application of Aptamers in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Cancer and Communicable Diseases. Pharmaceuticals, 11(4), 93. https://doi.org/10.3390/ph11040093

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