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Updated: May 2, 2026
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Kinetic Screening of Nuclease Activity using Nucleic Acid Probes
Published on: November 1, 2019
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Are we there yet with XNA aptamers?
Santiago Chaillou1, Saphyra Thonon1, Sten Reynders1
1KU Leuven, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences Herestraat, 49 Leuven 3000 Belgium v.pinheiro@kuleuven.be.
RSC Advances
|May 1, 2026
Summary
Aptamers, or nucleic acid aptamers, show therapeutic promise. This review covers 40 years of progress in aptamer selection (SELEX), synthetic nucleic acid (XNA) chemistries, and computational methods for future applications.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Molecular Biology
- Drug Discovery
Background:
- Aptamers are nucleic acid oligomers with high-affinity and high-specificity binding capabilities.
- They have been recognized as potential therapeutic agents since their inception.
- Despite significant advancements, clinical applications of aptamers are still in early stages.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review key developments in aptamer technology over the past 40 years.
- To highlight progress in aptamer selection, XNA chemistries, and computational analyses.
- To discuss limitations of current methods and advocate for a deeper understanding for future applications.
Main Methods:
- Review of aptamer selection (SELEX) processes.
- Analysis of novel synthetic nucleic acid (XNA) chemistries.
- Examination of computational approaches in aptamer development.
Main Results:
- SELEX processes have become more versatile and customizable.
- XNA chemistries offer novel possibilities for aptamer design.
- Computational analyses are increasingly important for aptamer discovery and optimization.
Conclusions:
- Clinical translation of aptamers remains a developing field.
- Understanding the complexities of SELEX and XNA incorporation is crucial.
- A mature understanding of aptamer biology can drive next-generation therapeutic applications.
