The Potential Use of Aptamers in The Process of Drug Development

Single-stranded nucleic acids can fold and create unique 3-dimensional structures when interacting with other molecules. The unique structure can achieve high specificity and affinity for the particular target. Synthetic oligonucleotide binding agents, also known as aptamers, are generated through the rational process of Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment (SELEX). As this technology matures, it shows increasing promise for use in the field of therapeutic drugs, drug discovery, development, and delivery, and this report seeks to detail how this technology may be applied.