Leveraging aptamers for targeted protein degradation

Abstract

Targeted protein degradation (TPD) technologies, particularly proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs), have emerged as a significant advancement in drug discovery. However, several hurdles – such as the difficulty of identifying suitable ligands for traditionally undruggable proteins, poor solubility and impermeability, nonspecific biodistribution, and on-target off-tissue toxicity – present challenges to their clinical applications. Aptamers are promising ligands for broad-ranging molecular recognition. Utilizing aptamers in TPD has shown potential advantages in overcoming these challenges. Here, we provide an overview of recent developments in aptamer-based TPD, emphasizing their potential to achieve targeted delivery and their promise for the spatiotemporal degradation of undruggable proteins. We also discuss the challenges and future directions of aptamer-based TPD with the goal of facilitating their clinical applications.