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Wong KY, Wong MS, Liu J. Aptamer-functionalized liposomes for drug delivery. Biomed J 2023; 47:100685. [PMID: 38081386 DOI: 10.1016/j.bj.2023.100685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 10/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Among the various targeting ligands for drug delivery, aptamers have attracted much interest in recent years because of their smaller size compared to antibodies, ease of modification, and better batch-to-batch consistency. In addition, aptamers can be selected to target both known and even unknown cell surface biomarkers. For drug loading, liposomes are the most successful vehicle and many FDA-approved formulations are based on liposomes. In this paper, aptamer-functionalized liposomes for targeted drug delivery are reviewed. We begin with the description of related aptamers selection, followed by methods to conjugate aptamers to liposomes and the fate of such conjugates in vivo. Then a few examples of applications are reviewed. In addition to intravenous injection for systemic delivery and hoping to achieve accumulation at target sites, for certain applications, it is also possible to have aptamer/liposome conjugates applied directly at the target tissue such as intratumor injection and dropping on the surface of the eye by adhering to the cornea. While previous reviews have focused on cancer therapy, the current review mainly covers other applications in the last four years. Finally, this article discusses potential issues of aptamer targeting and some future research opportunities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ka-Ying Wong
- Department of Chemistry, Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada; Centre for Eye and Vision Research (CEVR), Hong Kong.
| | - Man-Sau Wong
- Centre for Eye and Vision Research (CEVR), Hong Kong; Department of Food Science and Nutrition, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong; Research Center for Chinese Medicine Innovation, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
| | - Juewen Liu
- Department of Chemistry, Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada; Centre for Eye and Vision Research (CEVR), Hong Kong.
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Ospina-Villa JD, Restrepo-Cano V, Sánchez-Jiménez MM. Bio-SELEX: A Strategy for Biomarkers Isolation Directly from Biological Samples. Methods Protoc 2023; 6:109. [PMID: 37987356 PMCID: PMC10660531 DOI: 10.3390/mps6060109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Bio-SELEX is a revolutionary method for the discovery of novel biomarkers within biological samples, offering profound insights into diagnosing both infectious and non-infectious diseases. This innovative strategy involves three crucial steps: Traditional SELEX, Pull Down, and mass spectrometry. Firstly, Traditional SELEX involves the systematic selection of specific nucleic acid sequences (aptamers) that bind to the target molecules of interest. These aptamers are generated through iterative rounds of selection, amplification, and enrichment, ultimately yielding highly selective ligands. Secondly, the Pull-Down phase employs these aptamers to capture and isolate the target biomarkers from complex biological samples. This step ensures the specificity of the selected aptamers in binding to their intended targets. Lastly, mass spectrometry is utilized to identify and quantify the captured biomarkers, providing precise information about their presence and concentration in the sample. These quantitative data are invaluable in disease diagnosis and monitoring. Bio-SELEX's significance lies in its ability to discover biomarkers for a wide range of diseases, spanning infectious and non-infectious conditions. This approach holds great promise for early disease detection, personalized medicine, and the development of targeted therapies. By harnessing the power of aptamers and mass spectrometry, Bio-SELEX advances our understanding of disease biology and opens new avenues for improved healthcare.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan David Ospina-Villa
- Instituto Colombiano de Medicina Tropical-ICMT, Universidad CES, Sabaneta 055450, Colombia; (V.R.-C.); (M.M.S.-J.)
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Ji D, Feng H, Liew SW, Kwok CK. Modified nucleic acid aptamers: development, characterization, and biological applications. Trends Biotechnol 2023; 41:1360-1384. [PMID: 37302912 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2023.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2023] [Revised: 04/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Aptamers are single-stranded oligonucleotides that bind to their targets via specific structural interactions. To improve the properties and performance of aptamers, modified nucleotides are incorporated during or after a selection process such as systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX). We summarize the latest modified nucleotides and strategies used in modified (mod)-SELEX and post-SELEX to develop modified aptamers, highlight the methods used to characterize aptamer-target interactions, and present recent progress in modified aptamers that recognize different targets. We discuss the challenges and perspectives in further advancing the methodologies and toolsets to accelerate the discovery of modified aptamers, improve the throughput of aptamer-target characterization, and expand the functional diversity and complexity of modified aptamers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danyang Ji
- Department of Chemistry and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, SAR, China
| | - Hengxin Feng
- Department of Chemistry and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, SAR, China
| | - Shiau Wei Liew
- Department of Chemistry and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, SAR, China
| | - Chun Kit Kwok
- Department of Chemistry and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, SAR, China; Shenzhen Research Institute of City University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, China.
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Ruiz-Ciancio D, Lin LH, Veeramani S, Barros MN, Sanchez D, Di Bartolo AL, Masone D, Giangrande PH, Mestre MB, Thiel WH. Selection of a novel cell-internalizing RNA aptamer specific for CD22 antigen in B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2023; 33:698-712. [PMID: 37662970 PMCID: PMC10469072 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2023.07.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Despite improvements in B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) treatment, a significant number of patients experience relapse of the disease, resulting in poor prognosis and high mortality. One of the drawbacks of current B-ALL treatments is the high toxicity associated with the non-specificity of chemotherapeutic drugs. Targeted therapy is an appealing strategy to treat B-ALL to mitigate these toxic off-target effects. One such target is the B cell surface protein CD22. The restricted expression of CD22 on the B-cell lineage and its ligand-induced internalizing properties make it an attractive target in cases of B cell malignancies. To target B-ALL and the CD22 protein, we performed cell internalization SELEX (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential enrichment) followed by molecular docking to identify internalizing aptamers specific for B-ALL cells that bind the CD22 cell-surface receptor. We identified two RNA aptamers, B-ALL1 and B-ALL2, that target human malignant B cells, with B-ALL1 the first documented RNA aptamer interacting with the CD22 antigen. These B-ALL-specific aptamers represent an important first step toward developing novel targeted therapies for B cell malignancy treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dario Ruiz-Ciancio
- Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas (ICBM), Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Católica de Cuyo, Av. José Ignacio de la Roza 1516, Rivadavia, San Juan 5400, Argentina
- National Council of Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET), Godoy Cruz 2290, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires C1425FQB, Argentina
| | - Li-Hsien Lin
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52246, USA
| | - Suresh Veeramani
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52246, USA
- Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Maya N. Barros
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52246, USA
| | - Diego Sanchez
- Instituto de Medicina y Biología Experimental de Cuyo (IMBECU), CONICET, CCT-Mendoza 5500, Argentina
| | - Ary Lautaro Di Bartolo
- Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza (IHEM) – Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (UNCuyo), Mendoza M5502JMA, Argentina
| | - Diego Masone
- Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza (IHEM) – Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (UNCuyo), Mendoza M5502JMA, Argentina
| | - Paloma H. Giangrande
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52246, USA
- VP Platform Discovery Sciences, Biology, Wave Life Sciences, 733 Concord Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - María Belén Mestre
- Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas (ICBM), Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Católica de Cuyo, Av. José Ignacio de la Roza 1516, Rivadavia, San Juan 5400, Argentina
- National Council of Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET), Godoy Cruz 2290, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires C1425FQB, Argentina
| | - William H. Thiel
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52246, USA
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bioTCIs: Middle-to-Macro Biomolecular Targeted Covalent Inhibitors Possessing Both Semi-Permanent Drug Action and Stringent Target Specificity as Potential Antibody Replacements. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24043525. [PMID: 36834935 PMCID: PMC9968108 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24043525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2022] [Revised: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Monoclonal antibody therapies targeting immuno-modulatory targets such as checkpoint proteins, chemokines, and cytokines have made significant impact in several areas, including cancer, inflammatory disease, and infection. However, antibodies are complex biologics with well-known limitations, including high cost for development and production, immunogenicity, a limited shelf-life because of aggregation, denaturation, and fragmentation of the large protein. Drug modalities such as peptides and nucleic acid aptamers showing high-affinity and highly selective interaction with the target protein have been proposed alternatives to therapeutic antibodies. The fundamental limitation of short in vivo half-life has prevented the wide acceptance of these alternatives. Covalent drugs, also known as targeted covalent inhibitors (TCIs), form permanent bonds to target proteins and, in theory, eternally exert the drug action, circumventing the pharmacokinetic limitation of other antibody alternatives. The TCI drug platform, too, has been slow in gaining acceptance because of its potential prolonged side-effect from off-target covalent binding. To avoid the potential risks of irreversible adverse drug effects from off-target conjugation, the TCI modality is broadening from the conventional small molecules to larger biomolecules possessing desirable properties (e.g., hydrolysis resistance, drug-action reversal, unique pharmacokinetics, stringent target specificity, and inhibition of protein-protein interactions). Here, we review the historical development of the TCI made of bio-oligomers/polymers (i.e., peptide-, protein-, or nucleic-acid-type) obtained by rational design and combinatorial screening. The structural optimization of the reactive warheads and incorporation into the targeted biomolecules enabling a highly selective covalent interaction between the TCI and the target protein is discussed. Through this review, we hope to highlight the middle to macro-molecular TCI platform as a realistic replacement for the antibody.
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Sakovina L, Vokhtantsev I, Vorobyeva M, Vorobyev P, Novopashina D. Improving Stability and Specificity of CRISPR/Cas9 System by Selective Modification of Guide RNAs with 2'-fluoro and Locked Nucleic Acid Nucleotides. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:13460. [PMID: 36362256 PMCID: PMC9655745 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232113460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 09/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The genome editing approach using the components of the CRISPR/Cas system has found wide application in molecular biology, fundamental medicine and genetic engineering. A promising method is to increase the efficacy and specificity of CRISPR/Cas-based genome editing systems by modifying their components. Here, we designed and chemically synthesized guide RNAs (crRNA, tracrRNA and sgRNA) containing modified nucleotides (2'-O-methyl, 2'-fluoro, LNA-locked nucleic acid) or deoxyribonucleotides in certain positions. We compared their resistance to nuclease digestion and examined the DNA cleavage efficacy of the CRISPR/Cas9 system guided by these modified guide RNAs. The replacement of ribonucleotides with 2'-fluoro modified or LNA nucleotides increased the lifetime of the crRNAs, while other types of modification did not change their nuclease resistance. Modification of crRNA or tracrRNA preserved the efficacy of the CRISPR/Cas9 system. Otherwise, the CRISPR/Cas9 systems with modified sgRNA showed a remarkable loss of DNA cleavage efficacy. The kinetic constant of DNA cleavage was higher for the system with 2'-fluoro modified crRNA. The 2'-modification of crRNA also decreased the off-target effect upon in vitro dsDNA cleavage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lubov Sakovina
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine SB RAS, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Novosibirsk State University, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Ivan Vokhtantsev
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine SB RAS, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Novosibirsk State University, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Mariya Vorobyeva
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine SB RAS, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Pavel Vorobyev
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine SB RAS, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Darya Novopashina
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine SB RAS, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia
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