TY - JOUR
T1 - Aptamers as Potential Therapeutic Tools for Ovarian Cancer
T2 - Advancements and Challenges
AU - Szymanowski, Wojciech
AU - Szymanowska, Anna
AU - Bielawska, Anna
AU - Lopez-Berestein, Gabriel
AU - Rodriguez-Aguayo, Cristian
AU - Amero, Paola
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 by the authors.
PY - 2023/11
Y1 - 2023/11
N2 - Ovarian cancer (OC) is the most common lethal gynecologic cause of death in women worldwide, with a high mortality rate and increasing incidence. Despite advancements in the treatment, most OC patients still die from their disease due to late-stage diagnosis, the lack of effective diagnostic methods, and relapses. Aptamers, synthetic, short single-stranded oligonucleotides, have emerged as promising anticancer therapeutics. Their ability to selectively bind to target molecules, including cancer-related proteins and receptors, has revolutionized drug discovery and biomarker identification. Aptamers offer unique insights into the molecular pathways involved in cancer development and progression. Moreover, they show immense potential as drug delivery systems, enabling targeted delivery of therapeutic agents to cancer cells while minimizing off-target effects and reducing systemic toxicity. In the context of OC, the integration of aptamers with non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) presents an opportunity for precise and efficient gene targeting. Additionally, the conjugation of aptamers with nanoparticles allows for accurate and targeted delivery of ncRNAs to specific cells, tissues, or organs. In this review, we will summarize the potential use and challenges associated with the use of aptamers alone or aptamer–ncRNA conjugates, nanoparticles, and multivalent aptamer-based therapeutics for the treatment of OC.
AB - Ovarian cancer (OC) is the most common lethal gynecologic cause of death in women worldwide, with a high mortality rate and increasing incidence. Despite advancements in the treatment, most OC patients still die from their disease due to late-stage diagnosis, the lack of effective diagnostic methods, and relapses. Aptamers, synthetic, short single-stranded oligonucleotides, have emerged as promising anticancer therapeutics. Their ability to selectively bind to target molecules, including cancer-related proteins and receptors, has revolutionized drug discovery and biomarker identification. Aptamers offer unique insights into the molecular pathways involved in cancer development and progression. Moreover, they show immense potential as drug delivery systems, enabling targeted delivery of therapeutic agents to cancer cells while minimizing off-target effects and reducing systemic toxicity. In the context of OC, the integration of aptamers with non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) presents an opportunity for precise and efficient gene targeting. Additionally, the conjugation of aptamers with nanoparticles allows for accurate and targeted delivery of ncRNAs to specific cells, tissues, or organs. In this review, we will summarize the potential use and challenges associated with the use of aptamers alone or aptamer–ncRNA conjugates, nanoparticles, and multivalent aptamer-based therapeutics for the treatment of OC.
KW - aptamers
KW - ovarian cancer
KW - targeted delivery system
KW - therapeutics
KW - tumor microenvironment
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U2 - 10.3390/cancers15215300
DO - 10.3390/cancers15215300
M3 - Review article
C2 - 37958473
AN - SCOPUS:85176553554
SN - 2072-6694
VL - 15
JO - Cancers
JF - Cancers
IS - 21
M1 - 5300
ER -