Advances in Oligonucleotide Aptamers for NSCLC Targeting

Abstract

Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer worldwide, with the highest incidence in developed countries. NSCLC patients often face resistance to currently available therapies, accounting for frequent relapses and poor prognosis. Indeed, despite great recent advancements in the field of NSCLC diagnosis and multimodal therapy, most patients are diagnosed at advanced metastatic stage, with a very low overall survival. Thus, the identification of new effective diagnostic and therapeutic options for NSCLC patients is a crucial challenge in oncology. A promising class of targeting molecules is represented by nucleic-acid aptamers, short single-stranded oligonucleotides that upon folding in particular three dimensional (3D) structures, serve as high affinity ligands towards disease-associated proteins. They are produced in vitro by SELEX (systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment), a combinatorial chemistry procedure, representing an important tool for novel targetable biomarker discovery of both diagnostic and therapeutic interest. Aptamer-based approaches are promising options for NSCLC early diagnosis and targeted therapy and may overcome the key obstacles of currently used therapeutic modalities, such as the high toxicity and patients’ resistance. In this review, we highlight the most important applications of SELEX technology and aptamers for NSCLC handling.

Targeted therapy for cisplatin‐resistant lung cancer via aptamer‐guided nano‐zinc carriers containing USP14 siRNA

“…In addition, screening for unknown molecular AM targets can also be performed. 50 , 51 , 52 This study focused on the differential screening of cell membranes in A549/DDP and A549 cells. Thus, AMs specifically recognizing A549/DDP cells were obtained.…”

“…One advantage of whole‐cell screening is that the conformation of the target molecule does not need to be known in advance, and the destruction of target substances during purification can be avoided. In addition, screening for unknown molecular AM targets can also be performed 50–52 . This study focused on the differential screening of cell membranes in A549/DDP and A549 cells.…”

MicroRNA‑20a promotes non‑small cell lung cancer proliferation by upregulating PD‑L1 by targeting PTEN

“…NSCLC is one of the most common malignant tumors ( 17 ). However, the high mortality rate of NSCLC has not decreased, mainly due to the lack of early diagnosis, leading to the loss of surgical opportunity, as patients with NSCLC are found at an advanced stage ( 18 ).…”

Application of aptamer functionalized nanomaterials in targeting therapeutics of typical tumors

“…In 2018, the World Health Organization counted 2.09 million cases of non-small cell lung cancer, and 1.76 million related deaths. Although some progress have been made in the treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer, the overall survival rate is still low ( Rotoli et al, 2020 ). Among them, the median total survival time of patients with advanced NSCLC (stage III/IV) is about 10–12 months ( Langer et al, 2013 ).…”