Chasing Ehrlich’s Magic Bullet – Nucleic acid aptamers for therapy and diagnostics

Abstract

Highly specific molecular recognition between nucleic acids and proteins is a fundamental tenet of life. Artificial selection of a nucleic acid, whereby a particular target‐binding nucleic acid is selected and evolved from a large unbiased random pool, was first achieved over 20 years ago. This process of in vitro molecular evolution towards the evolved nucleic acid aptamer was termed SELEX ‐ systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment – and has had major impact over the last two decades in both basic and applied sciences. One particular application of such selected nucleic acids is in medicine, and aptamers have been clinically proven over recent years. Our laboratory has been developing aptamers as a new therapeutic approach against skeletal disease and tuberculosis. We have also been developing aptamers as perhaps a better and cheaper way to diagnose malaria. Here, we discuss our progress with a particular focus on the biochemistry of the nucleic acid‐protein molecular recognition events underpinning such potential medical applications.