title: Molecular Elucidation of Disease Biomarkers at the Interface of Chemistry and Biology.
abstract: Disease-related biomarkers are objectively measurable molecular signatures of physiological status that can serve as disease indicators or drug targets in clinical diagnosis and therapy, thus acting as a tool in support of personalized medicine. For example, the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) biomarker is now widely used to screen patients for prostate cancer. However, few such biomarkers are currently available, and the process of biomarker identification and validation is prolonged and complicated by inefficient methods of discovery and few reliable analytical platforms. Therefore, in this Perspective, we look at the advanced chemistry of aptamer molecules and their significant role as molecular probes in biomarker studies. As a special class of functional nucleic acids evolved from an iterative technology termed Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment (SELEX), these single-stranded oligonucleotides can recognize their respective targets with selectivity and affinity comparable to those of protein antibodies. Because of their fast turnaround time and exceptional chemical properties, aptamer probes can serve as novel molecular tools for biomarker investigations, particularly in assisting identification of new disease-related biomarkers. More importantly, aptamers are able to recognize biomarkers from complex biological environments such as blood serum and cell surfaces, which can provide direct evidence for further clinical applications. This Perspective highlights several major advancements of aptamer-based biomarker discovery strategies and their potential contribution to the practice of precision medicine.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Science and Biomedicine Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and College of Biology, Collaborative Innovation Center for Chemistry and Molecular Medicine, Hunan University , Changsha 410082, China.|Department of Chemistry and Department of Physiology and Functional Genomics, Center for Research at Bio/nano Interface, UF Health Cancer Center, UF Genetics Institute, University of Florida , Gainesville, Florida 32611, United States.
authors.forename: Liqin
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-3632-4117
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Department of Physiology and Functional Genomics, Center for Research at Bio/nano Interface, UF Health Cancer Center, UF Genetics Institute, University of Florida , Gainesville, Florida 32611, United States.
authors.forename: Shuo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.affiliation: Molecular Science and Biomedicine Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and College of Biology, Collaborative Innovation Center for Chemistry and Molecular Medicine, Hunan University , Changsha 410082, China.|Department of Chemistry and Department of Physiology and Functional Genomics, Center for Research at Bio/nano Interface, UF Health Cancer Center, UF Genetics Institute, University of Florida , Gainesville, Florida 32611, United States.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Department of Physiology and Functional Genomics, Center for Research at Bio/nano Interface, UF Health Cancer Center, UF Genetics Institute, University of Florida , Gainesville, Florida 32611, United States.
authors.forename: Yanyue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Molecular Science and Biomedicine Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and College of Biology, Collaborative Innovation Center for Chemistry and Molecular Medicine, Hunan University , Changsha 410082, China.
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.affiliation: Molecular Science and Biomedicine Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and College of Biology, Collaborative Innovation Center for Chemistry and Molecular Medicine, Hunan University , Changsha 410082, China.
authors.forename: Qiaoling
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-9487-0944
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Department of Physiology and Functional Genomics, Center for Research at Bio/nano Interface, UF Health Cancer Center, UF Genetics Institute, University of Florida , Gainesville, Florida 32611, United States.|School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Zhangjiang Branch , No. 826 Zhangheng Rd. Pudong New District, Shanghai 201203, China.
authors.forename: Zhijuan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Molecular Science and Biomedicine Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and College of Biology, Collaborative Innovation Center for Chemistry and Molecular Medicine, Hunan University , Changsha 410082, China.|Department of Chemistry and Department of Physiology and Functional Genomics, Center for Research at Bio/nano Interface, UF Health Cancer Center, UF Genetics Institute, University of Florida , Gainesville, Florida 32611, United States.
authors.forename: Liping
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.affiliation: Molecular Science and Biomedicine Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and College of Biology, Collaborative Innovation Center for Chemistry and Molecular Medicine, Hunan University , Changsha 410082, China.|Department of Chemistry and Department of Physiology and Functional Genomics, Center for Research at Bio/nano Interface, UF Health Cancer Center, UF Genetics Institute, University of Florida , Gainesville, Florida 32611, United States.
authors.forename: Weihong
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-8066-1524
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tan
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D015335:Molecular Probes / Q000737:chemistry*; D015394:Molecular Structure; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D052156:SELEX Aptamer Technique / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D015335:Molecular Probes