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Y. Cheng and H. Jin
detection electrode, and integrating advanced nanomaterials or novel nanoassemblies, will further improve the detection performance of aptasensors as expected.
Fourthly, limited types and short sequences of nucleotides and difficulties
concerning the aptamer immobilization methods are also obstacles limiting the application of aptamers. Introducing artificially developed nucleotides instead of naturally
four nucleotides may greatly expand structurally the diversity and hence the affinity
of aptamers applicable for endocrine-related diseases.
Last but not least, the internal environment of the human body maintains a dynamic
balance in response to changes in external conditions. Under normal circumstances,
body temperature, blood pH, and substance concentration only fluctuate within
limited ranges. Compared to the harsh experiment’s situation in vitro, the conditions for in vivo experiments are extremely delicate, which necessitates imperatively
the availability of aptamers with superior quality and robustness. For successful
applications of aptamers aiming at endocrine-related diseases, researchers still need
to further rationalize aptamer selection and post-SELEX protocol, characterize
aptamer affinity with high-throughput strategy, and improve aptamer performance
via molecular simulation or sequence truncating/splitting, etc.
11.5 Discussion and Outlook
Aptamers are promising tools in the diagnosis and treatment of endocrine-related
diseases. But, there are also some bottlenecks caused by their inherent characteristics,
which limit their speed to transit readily from laboratory to clinical. Nevertheless, the
vigorous development of aptamer-related technologies brings many opportunities for
aptamers in future clinical applications. Therefore, further investigations will surely
promote their wider application in clinical diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutics of
endocrine-related diseases.
Appendix: The Abbreviation in the Paper
Abbreviation
Full name
AB-CoR
Aptamer-Based Corepressor
AFM
Atomic Force Microscopy
AMH
Aptamers that Mimic HRE
APAA
Apta-PCR Affinity Assay
AR
Androgen Receptor
AuNPs
Gold Nanoparticles
BPA
Bisphenol A
(continued)
Y. Cheng and H. Jin
detection electrode, and integrating advanced nanomaterials or novel nanoassemblies, will further improve the detection performance of aptasensors as expected.
Fourthly, limited types and short sequences of nucleotides and difficulties
concerning the aptamer immobilization methods are also obstacles limiting the application of aptamers. Introducing artificially developed nucleotides instead of naturally
four nucleotides may greatly expand structurally the diversity and hence the affinity
of aptamers applicable for endocrine-related diseases.
Last but not least, the internal environment of the human body maintains a dynamic
balance in response to changes in external conditions. Under normal circumstances,
body temperature, blood pH, and substance concentration only fluctuate within
limited ranges. Compared to the harsh experiment’s situation in vitro, the conditions for in vivo experiments are extremely delicate, which necessitates imperatively
the availability of aptamers with superior quality and robustness. For successful
applications of aptamers aiming at endocrine-related diseases, researchers still need
to further rationalize aptamer selection and post-SELEX protocol, characterize
aptamer affinity with high-throughput strategy, and improve aptamer performance
via molecular simulation or sequence truncating/splitting, etc.
11.5 Discussion and Outlook
Aptamers are promising tools in the diagnosis and treatment of endocrine-related
diseases. But, there are also some bottlenecks caused by their inherent characteristics,
which limit their speed to transit readily from laboratory to clinical. Nevertheless, the
vigorous development of aptamer-related technologies brings many opportunities for
aptamers in future clinical applications. Therefore, further investigations will surely
promote their wider application in clinical diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutics of
endocrine-related diseases.
Appendix: The Abbreviation in the Paper
Abbreviation
Full name
AB-CoR
Aptamer-Based Corepressor
AFM
Atomic Force Microscopy
AMH
Aptamers that Mimic HRE
APAA
Apta-PCR Affinity Assay
AR
Androgen Receptor
AuNPs
Gold Nanoparticles
BPA
Bisphenol A
(continued)