Progress and Challenges in Developing Aptamer-Functionalized Targeted Drug Delivery Systems

• Published in: International Journal of Molecular Sciences Vol. 16; no. 10; pp. 23784 - 23822
• Main Authors: Jiang, Feng, Liu, Biao, Lu, Jun, Li, Fangfei, Li, Defang, Liang, Chao, Dang, Lei, Liu, Jin, He, Bing, Badshah, Shaikh Atik, Lu, Cheng, He, Xiaojuan, Guo, Baosheng, Zhang, Xiao-Bing, Tan, Weihong, Lu, Aiping, Zhang, Ge
• Format: Journal Article Book Review
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 09.10.2015; MDPI
• Subjects: Animals; aptamer; aptamer-functionalized targeted drug delivery systems; aptamer-nanomaterial conjugated systems; aptamer-small molecule conjugated systems; Aptamers, Nucleotide; Drug Delivery Systems; Humans; Ligands; Molecular biology; Nanostructures; Review; SELEX; SELEX Aptamer Technique; aptamer-small molecule conjugated systems; aptamer-functionalized targeted drug delivery systems; aptamer-nanomaterial conjugated systems; aptamer; SELEX
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms161023784

Aptamers, which can be screened via systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX), are superior ligands for molecular recognition due to their high selectivity and affinity. The interest in the use of aptamers as ligands for targeted drug delivery has been increasing due to their unique advantages. Based on their different compositions and preparation methods, aptamer-functionalized targeted drug delivery systems can be divided into two main categories: aptamer-small molecule conjugated systems and aptamer-nanomaterial conjugated systems. In this review, we not only summarize recent progress in aptamer selection and the application of aptamers in these targeted drug delivery systems but also discuss the advantages, challenges and new perspectives associated with these delivery systems.