Aptamer Targeting of Osteopontin in Cancer Metastasis
In recent years a novel crop of therapies called aptamers have been derived that take advantage of small segment nucleotides that tightly bind cell surface proteins. This interaction at the extracellular level impedes the normal cascade of the receptor protein, blunting or arresting the usual chain of intracellular events. In contrast to antibody directed therapies, aptamers are able to function at very low concentrations. In addition to the robust binding capability to target cell surface proteins (as described by the dissociation constant), added benefits of aptamer therapy include exquisite target specificity and a lack of immunogenicity (1, 2).
