The Development and Applications of Aptamers
A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Medicinal Chemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2024) | Viewed by 1680
Special Issue Editors
Interests: protein structure and function; bioinformatics; food science; biochemistry; molecular structure
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: biochemistry; protein structure and function; bioinformatics; protein modelling; molecular docking; molecular dynamics simulations; rare diseases
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: molecular interaction; bioinformatics; molecular simulations; biochemistry; clinical biochemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Aptamers are short single-stranded RNA or DNA oligonucleotides that are capable of folding into complex 3D structures, allowing them to bind targets ranging from small ions to an entire organism. Their high specificity and binding affinity make them comparable to antibodies, but aptamers have a longer shelf life and lower toxicity and immunogenicity.
Aptamers have proven to be a promising alternative to antibodies for use in biomedical areas such as biomarker detection, diagnosis, imaging and therapy. Despite their therapeutic potential in some preclinical models, aptamers are not yet considered 'stars' in clinical trials, and one reason for this is selection difficulty.
The purpose of this Special Issue is to present papers that deal with either the discovery of new aptamers or the selection and application of aptamers in clinics for different pathologies. We welcome purely bioinformatics-based approaches (e.g., aptamer selection using molecular dynamics, the patterning of libraries, and in silico aptamer optimization), studies based on “wet” approaches, and combinations of both.
Prof. Dr. Angelo Facchiano
Dr. Anna Marabotti
Dr. Bernardina Scafuri
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- aptamers
- therapeutics
- diagnosis
- molecular interaction
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