Aptamers: Current Applications in Leukemia Diagnostics and Therapeutics

Aptamers are single-stranded synthetic oligonucleotides that bind noncovalently to targets with high affinity and selectivity. They are generated through an in vitro selection process known as Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment. Aptamers show significant promise in cancer diagnostics and therapeutics due to their specificity, versatility, and tunable biochemical properties. Aptamers can be used to target cellular biomarkers, which are detectable molecules that can indicate specific physiological states of cells, organs, and organisms, making them valuable indicators for diseases. Clinical trials on therapeutic aptamers are providing further insight into their potential use. Leukemia is a hematological malignancy characterized by the uncontrolled proliferation of abnormal blood-forming cells, primarily affecting the bone marrow and peripheral blood. This review will highlight the applications of aptamers in relation to the diagnosis and treatment of leukemia. Novel research on leukemia-related aptamers will be presented along with future directions for aptamer-based diagnostic and therapeutic methods.