Nanoparticle–aptamer bioconjugates for cancer targeting

Abstract

The combination of targeted drug delivery and controlled-release technology may pave the road for more effective yet safer chemotherapeutic options for cancer therapy. Drug-encapsulated polymeric nanoparticle–aptamer bioconjugates represent an emerging technology that can facilitate the delivery of chemotherapeutics to primary and metastatic tumours. Aptamers are short nucleic acid molecules with binding properties and biochemical characteristics that may make them suitable for use as targeting molecules. The goal of this review is to summarise the key components that are required for creating effective cancer targeting nanoparticle–aptamer bioconjugates. The field of controlled release and the structure and properties of aptamers, as well as the criteria for constructing effective conjugates, will be discussed.

Keywords::

• aptamer
• cancer therapy
• controlled release
• in vitro selection
• nanoparticles
• SELEX
• targeted drug delivery

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank J Szostak, S Jon, J Cheng, B Teply, A Khademhosseini, P Kantoff, J Richie, M O’Leary and E Levy-Nissenbaum for helpful discussions. This work was supported by grants from the Koch Research Fund, NIH/NCI CA 119349 and NIH/NIBIB EB003647.

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