Molecular Elucidation of Disease Biomarkers at the Interface of Chemistry and Biology

作者：Liqin Zhang, Shuo Wan, Ying Jiang, Yanyue Wang, Ting Fu, Qiaoling Liu, Zhijuan Cao, Liping Qiu, Weihong Tan · 发表于：Journal of the American Chemical Society · 年份：2017 · DOI：10.1021/jacs.6b10646 · 被引用次数：143 · 研究领域：Advanced biosensing and bioanalysis techniques、RNA Interference and Gene Delivery、Molecular Junctions and Nanostructures

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 h...