Aptamer-Mediated Cancer Gene Therapy

Title:Aptamer-Mediated Cancer Gene Therapy

Volume: 15 Issue: 2

Author(s): Dongxi Xiang, Sarah Shigdar, Greg Qiao, Shu-Feng Zhou, Yong Li, Ming Q. Wei, Liang Qiao, Hadi Al. Shamaileh, Yimin Zhu, Conglong Zheng, Chunwen Pu and Wei Duan

Affiliation:

Keywords: Aptamer, gene therapy, miRNA, RNAi, cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma.

Abstract: Cancer as a genetic disorder is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Conventional anticancer options such as chemo- and/or radio-therapy have their own drawbacks and could not provide a cure in most cases at present. More effective therapeutic strategies with less side effects are urgently needed. Aptamers, also known as chemical antibodies, are single strand DNA or RNA molecules that can bind to their target molecules with high affinity and specificity. Such site-specific binding ability of aptamers facilitates the delivery and interaction of exogenous nucleic acids with diseased genes. Thus, aptamer-guided gene therapy has emerged as a promising anticancer strategy in addition to the classic treatment regimen. Aptamers can directly deliver anti-cancer nucleic acids, e.g. small interfering RNA, micro RNA, antimicroRNA and small hairpin RNA, to cancer cells or function as a targeting ligand to guide nanoparticles containing therapeutic nucleic acids. This review focuses on recent progress in aptamer-mediated gene therapy for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma and other types of cancers, shedding light on the potential of this novel approach of targeted cancer gene therapy.

Cite this article as:

Xiang Dongxi, Shigdar Sarah, Qiao Greg, Zhou Shu-Feng, Li Yong, Wei Q. Ming, Qiao Liang, Shamaileh Al. Hadi, Zhu Yimin, Zheng Conglong, Pu Chunwen and Duan Wei, Aptamer-Mediated Cancer Gene Therapy, Current Gene Therapy 2015; 15 (2) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1566523214666141224095105