Aptamer-based theranostic approaches for treatment of cancer

Cancer is one of the most causes of death worldwide, which the adverse effects of chemotherapeutic agents limit their clinical outcomes. One of the most crucial ways to develop efficient cancer diagnosis and therapy is the delivery of therapeutic or diagnostic molecules to specific cancer cells to reduce side effects. Aptamers are short synthetic single-stranded DNA or RNA oligonucleotides emerging as novel structures to target various cognate compounds such as nucleotides and proteins. The great advantages of aptamers include high specificity, low molecular weight, and nonimmunogenic. Additionally, they can be easily modified by different chemical reactions. A variety of purposes can be achieved by aptamers, including therapeutic, diagnostic, and theranostic aims. Aptamers can use in early detection and therapy with limited adverse effects in cancer. This chapter summarizes the application of aptamers in cancer theranostic platforms. We also discuss the current aptamers in clinical trials and their future utilization.