Recent advancements in aptamers as promising nanotool for therapeutic and diagnostic applications

Aptamers are single-strand oligonucleotide molecules having certain structural interactions which allow them to
bind to specific targets. Modified nucleotides are added during or after a selection procedure like Systematic
Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment i.e., SELEX to enhance the characteristics and functionality of
aptamers. Aptamers are extensible molecular tools with several uses such as in drug administration, biosensing,
bioimaging, drug therapies and diagnostics. The ability to detect is improved by using aptamer-based sensors in
conjunction with biological molecules among other sensing techniques. Chemical modification, and strong
resistance to denaturation, aptamers are appropriate biological recognizing agents for developing sensitive and
repeatable aptasensors. This review discusses the most current developments in the aptamers, SELEX method,
applications of aptamers as innovative diagnostic, therapeutic & theragnostic tool along with major limitations &
prospective directions in the future.