[Peptide aptamers and nano-carriers for cancer therapy]

Peptide aptamers are specific binders that are artificially created using in vitro evolution systems. The peptide aptamers that can detect malignant cells in vivo, or can bind surfaces of various materials will enable us to develop novel types of cancer diagnosis and cancer therapy agents by combining with various nano-carriers. Here, the development of peptide aptamer research is described in terms of artificial protein research. Also, two examples of nano-carriers are introduced, i. e., a ferritin, a natural caged protein, and carbon nanohorns, members of the carbon nanomaterial family, by focusing their potential roles in cancer diagnosis and cancer therapy.