title: Aptamer delivery of siRNA, radiopharmaceutics and chemotherapy agents in cancer.
abstract: Aptamers are oligonucleotide reagents with high affinity and specificity, which among other therapeutic and diagnostic applications have the capability of acting as delivery agents. Thus, aptamers are capable of carrying small molecules, nanoparticles, radiopharmaceuticals or fluorescent agents as well as nucleic acid therapeutics specifically to their target cells. In most cases, the molecules may possess interesting therapeutic properties, but their lack of specificity for a particular cell type, or ability to internalise in such a cell, hinders their clinical development, or cause unwanted side effects. Thus, chemotherapy or radiotherapy agents, famous for their side effects, can be coupled to aptamers for specific delivery. Equally, siRNA have great therapeutic potential and specificity, but one of their shortcomings remain the delivery and internalisation into cells. Various methodologies have been proposed to date, including aptamers, to resolve this problem. Therapeutic or imaging reagents benefit from the adaptability and ease of chemical manipulation of aptamers, their high affinity for the specific marker of a cell type, and their internalisation ability via cell mediated endocytosis. In this review paper, we explore the potential of the aptamers as delivery agents and offer an update on current status and latest advancements.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Radiobiologia, Divisão de Física Médica, Instituto de Radioproteção e Dosimetria, Comissão Nacional de Energia Nuclear, Av. Salvador Allende S/N., Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP 22783-127, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carlos E B
authors.initials: CEB
authors.lastname: de Almeida
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Radiobiologia, Divisão de Física Médica, Instituto de Radioproteção e Dosimetria, Comissão Nacional de Energia Nuclear, Av. Salvador Allende S/N., Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP 22783-127, Brazil.
authors.forename: Lais Nascimento
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Alves
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Anticorpos Monoclonais, Instituto de Tecnologia em Imunobiológicos (Bio-Manguinhos), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Av. Brasil, 4365-Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP 21040-900, Brazil.
authors.forename: Henrique F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Radiobiologia, Divisão de Física Médica, Instituto de Radioproteção e Dosimetria, Comissão Nacional de Energia Nuclear, Av. Salvador Allende S/N., Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP 22783-127, Brazil; Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Brg. Trompowski-Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP 21044-020, Brazil.
authors.forename: Januário Bispo
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Cabral-Neto
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Anticorpos Monoclonais, Instituto de Tecnologia em Imunobiológicos (Bio-Manguinhos), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Av. Brasil, 4365-Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP 21040-900, Brazil. Electronic address: sotiris.missailidis@bio.fiocruz.br.
authors.forename: Sotiris
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Missailidis
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals
keywords: Aptamers; Cancer; Chemotherapy; Radiopharmaceutics; siRNA