Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 9, 2026
11:34
Exploring Sequence Space to Identify Binding Sites for Regulatory RNA-Binding Proteins
Published on: August 9, 2019
Multivalent Aptamers: Contemporary Engineering Strategies and Biomedical Applications
Chengliang Liu1,2, Zhijun Tang1,2, Yilin Zhu1,2
1College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China.
Small (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)
|June 8, 2026
Summary
Multivalent aptamers, engineered from multiple units, overcome limitations of single aptamers by enhancing target engagement. This review covers advanced engineering strategies and applications in next-generation biomedicine.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Molecular Biology
- Drug Discovery
Background:
- Nucleic acid aptamers offer high affinity and stability for biomedical uses.
- Monovalent aptamers face limitations in binding avidity and pharmacokinetics.
- Multivalent aptamers enhance target engagement through engineered spatial configurations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide a comprehensive overview of multivalent aptamer engineering advancements.
- To discuss strategies for designing and constructing multivalent aptamer architectures.
- To highlight applications capitalizing on the multivalency effect.
Main Methods:
- Review of systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) strategies for multivalent aptamer evolution.
- Analysis of diverse design approaches for multivalent aptamer construction.
- Compilation of representative applications in targeted delivery, therapy, imaging, and diagnostics.
Main Results:
- Advancements in SELEX enable direct evolution of multivalent aptamers.
- Various multivalent architectures offer distinct advantages and limitations.
- Multivalency significantly enhances affinity, specificity, and functional potency.
Conclusions:
- Multivalent aptamer engineering offers superior biological outcomes compared to monovalent counterparts.
- This approach unlocks novel applications in targeted delivery, therapeutics, imaging, and diagnostics.
- Continued advancements promise significant impact on next-generation biomedicine.
