- Omar Awad Alsaidan: Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, Jouf University, P.O. Box 2014, Sakaka, 72341, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: osaidan@ju.edu.sa.
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.