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Advances in aptamer-based nuclear imaging

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Abstract

Aptamers are short oligonucleotides that bind to specific target molecules. They have been extensively explored in biomedical applications, including biosensing, medical imaging, and disease treatment. Their adjustable affinity for specific biomarkers stimulates more translational efforts, such as nuclear imaging of tumors in preclinical and clinical settings. In this review, we present recent advances of aptamer-based nuclear imaging and compare aptamer tracers with other biogenic probes in forms of peptides, nanobodies, monoclonal antibodies, and antibody fragments. Fundamental properties of aptamer-based radiotracers are highlighted and potential directions to improve aptamer’s imaging performance are discussed. Despite many translational obstacles to overcome, we envision aptamers to be a versatile tool for cancer nuclear imaging in the near future.

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Funding

This work was supported, in part, by the Wuhan Union Hospital, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82102121, 21834007, 91953106), the Yellow Crane Talent (Science & Technology) Program of Wuhan City, and the Science Foundation of the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission (19JC1410300, 21DZ2210100).

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  1. W. Song and Y. Song contributed equally

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  1. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1277 Jiefang Ave, Wuhan, 430022, China

    Wenyu Song, Yangmeihui Song, Xiaoli Lan & Dawei Jiang

  2. School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules and National Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Rd, Shanghai, 200240, China

    Qian Li & Chunhai Fan

  3. Hubei Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Wuhan, 430022, Hubei, China

    Wenyu Song, Yangmeihui Song, Xiaoli Lan & Dawei Jiang

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  1. Wenyu Song
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Song, W., Song, Y., Li, Q. et al. Advances in aptamer-based nuclear imaging. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 49, 2544–2559 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-022-05782-0

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