Aptamer-Guided Gene Therapy for Cancer Disease

Gene therapy is a medical approach capable of correcting genetic and epigenetic alterations in pathological conditions, including cancer. Different strategies have been pursued for cancer gene therapy, aiming to restore the function of tumor suppressor genes or inhibit oncogenes. These comprise the use of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology and therapeutic oligonucleotides, such as microRNAs, anti-microRNAs, small interfering RNAs, DNAzymes, and epigenetic modifiers. However, despite great potential, their broad clinical use is hindered due to the lack of safe and efficient systems for targeted delivery to cancer cells. To this purpose, aptamers could represent an ideal tool. They are short single-stranded oligonucleotides that bind receptors selectively present or overexpressed on cancer cell membranes, often undergoing cell-specific internalization. Thanks to this last feature, numerous internalizing aptamers have been investigated as targeting moiety to deliver therapeutic oligonucleotides, viral vectors, and nanoparticle-based systems in preclinical studies. Here, we summarize the state-of-the-art of aptamer applications in cancer gene therapy, providing key examples and discussing their advantages, limitations, and clinical perspectives.