Aptamers: Past, Present, and Future

Dear Colleagues,

Nucleic acid aptamer libraries are large arrays of randomly distributed (usually 40-60 nucleotides long) single-stranded nucleic acid molecules, provided with fixed 5’ and 3’ ends.

Individual aptamers display numerous sequence-dependent folds (“cavities”) capable of accommodating small molecules, as well as molecular clusters (“aptatopes”) present on target molecules (generally proteins). Following 8-12 rounds of in vitro selection by the SELEX method (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential enrichment), it is possible to generate aptamers with increased affinity and specificity towards a given target.

Due to their huge sequence complexity (10¹⁴–10¹⁵ combinatorial variants), aptamer libraries constitute unique tools for clinicians, pharma, and biotech industries to develop innovative applications, including human primary/pluripotent stem cells low-abundance protein atlases, the elimination of trace contaminants during monoclonal antibody purification, etc.

Cell-specific aptamer probes for intracellular and membrane proteins, the construction of biosensors, miniaturized biological circuits, and artificial extracellular matrix-based scaffolds represent many developments that critically depend upon aptamers. These developments open new avenues for clinical applications in oncology, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, etc.

This Special Issue aims to be a forum for newcomers and specialists, and will provide an opportunity for them to present recent and novel results in the blooming field of aptamers technology and applications.

Dr. Alain O.A. Miller
Dr. Jean Jacques Vanden Eynde
Guest Editors

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