Oligonucleotide Aptamers for Diagnostics and Therapy
A special issue of Pharmaceutics (ISSN 1999-4923). This special issue belongs to the section "Gene and Cell Therapy".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 9
Special Issue Editors
Interests: oligonucleotides; G-quadruplex; aptamers; thrombin-binding aptamers; nanosystems; nanomaterials; ruthenium complexes; platinum complexes; benzodifuran compounds
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: non-canonical nucleic acids; nucleic acid theranostics; small molecule–DNA interactions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
In recent decades, oligonucleotide aptamers have emerged as versatile and powerful tools in biomedical research and clinical applications. These short, single-stranded nucleic acids can fold into unique three-dimensional structures able to bind a plethora of different targets—including small molecules, proteins, cells, and even tissues—with high affinity and specificity.
Compared to antibodies, aptamers offer several advantages, such as enhanced chemical stability, low immunogenicity, rapid and cost-effective synthesis, and ease of chemical modification, all of which have significantly expanded their translational potential. As a result, aptamers are being increasingly explored for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes, such as targeted drug delivery, inhibition of pathogenic proteins, and the development of new treatment strategies for complex diseases.
This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive and multidisciplinary overview of the most recent advances in the field of aptamers, highlighting both opportunities and challenges in their application to diagnostics and therapy.
We invite researchers to submit original papers, communications, and reviews regarding oligonucleotide aptamers for diagnostics and therapy to be considered for publication in this Special Issue of Pharmaceutics.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Dr. Claudia Riccardi
Dr. Ettore Napolitano
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- aptamers
- oligonucleotides
- therapy
- diagnostics
- targeted drug delivery
- molecular recognition
- aptamer engineering
- protein–aptamer interactions
- aptamer-based nanotechnology
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