Aptamer-based protein inhibitors

Nucleic acid aptamers have been discovered in nature and in the laboratory that can bind and block that activity of numerous target proteins. They accomplish this inhibition by creating complementary surfaces to their target proteins which results in the burying large patches on the surface of their targets. Expanding the universe of chemical side chains on aptamers has allowed for the discovery of aptamers that can generate an increasing number of diverse contacts with a wider range of surfaces of target proteins and has yield high affinity inhibitors that have proven valuable in the laboratory and increasingly in the clinic. Here we review this progress and consider the challenges for developing the aptamer-based inhibitor for research and clinical applications.

Duke Scholars

Author Bruce Alan Sullenger Surgery, Surgical Sciences