title: Aptamer-based therapeutics of the past, present and future: from the perspective of eye-related diseases.
abstract: Aptamers have emerged as a novel and powerful class of biomolecules with an immense untapped potential. The ability to synthesise highly specific aptamers against any molecular target make them a vital cog in the design of effective therapeutics for the future. However, only a minutia of the enormous potential of this dynamic class of molecule has been exploited. Several aptamers have been studied for the treatment of eye-related disorders, and one such strategy has been successful in therapy. This review gives an account of several eye diseases and their regulatory biomolecules where other nucleic acid therapeutics have been attempted with limited success and how aptamers, with their exceptional flexibility to chemical modifications, can overcome those inherent shortcomings.
authors.affiliation: Nanomedicine-Laboratory of Immunology and Molecular Biomedical Research (NLIMBR), Molecular and Medical Research (MMR) Strategic Research Centre, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria 3217, Australia. Electronic address: jagat.kanwar@deakin.edu.au.
authors.forename: Jagat R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Kanwar
authors.affiliation: Nanomedicine-Laboratory of Immunology and Molecular Biomedical Research (NLIMBR), Molecular and Medical Research (MMR) Strategic Research Centre, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria 3217, Australia.
authors.forename: Jayanth Suryanarayanan
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Shankaranarayanan
authors.affiliation: Nanomedicine-Laboratory of Immunology and Molecular Biomedical Research (NLIMBR), Molecular and Medical Research (MMR) Strategic Research Centre, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria 3217, Australia.
authors.forename: Sneha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gurudevan
authors.affiliation: Nanomedicine-Laboratory of Immunology and Molecular Biomedical Research (NLIMBR), Molecular and Medical Research (MMR) Strategic Research Centre, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria 3217, Australia.
authors.forename: Rupinder K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Kanwar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015195:Drug Design; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D009696:Nucleic Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide; D009696:Nucleic Acids