Advantages, applications, and future directions of in vivo aptamer SELEX: A review

In vivo systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) emerged as a transformative technique for directly identifying aptamers within living organisms. Unlike traditional in vitro methods that often fail to capture the complexity of biological interactions in physiological environ...

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Main Authors: Minchuan Lyu, Chi Ho Chan, Ziqi Chen, Yumeng Liu, Yuanyuan Yu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-09-01
Series:Molecular Therapy: Nucleic Acids
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2162253125001295
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author Minchuan Lyu
Chi Ho Chan
Ziqi Chen
Yumeng Liu
Yuanyuan Yu
author_facet Minchuan Lyu
Chi Ho Chan
Ziqi Chen
Yumeng Liu
Yuanyuan Yu
author_sort Minchuan Lyu
collection DOAJ
description In vivo systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) emerged as a transformative technique for directly identifying aptamers within living organisms. Unlike traditional in vitro methods that often fail to capture the complexity of biological interactions in physiological environments, in vivo SELEX leverages whole living organisms as selection targets. This strategy significantly enhances the specificity, functionality, and physiological relevance of the selected aptamers, making them more viable for therapeutic, diagnostic, and imaging applications. The aim of this review is to elucidate the unique advantages of in vivo SELEX compared to conventional in vitro techniques. It focuses on how in vivo SELEX improves aptamer specificity, physiological relevance, and pharmacokinetic properties, thereby enhancing their potential for use in diagnostics and therapeutics. This review highlights the principles, advancements, and challenges of in vivo SELEX, while discussing its potential to bridge the gap between aptamer discovery and clinical translation. By enabling the selection of aptamers under real physiological conditions, in vivo SELEX addresses critical limitations of in vitro methods, such as off-target effects and poor clinical translatability. The review also explores the applications of in vivo SELEX in various fields, including neurology, oncology, and cardiovascular diseases, and provides insights into future directions for optimizing this technology.
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spelling doaj-art-edacebbedc684ef88d6ee2c0d6107e882025-08-20T03:10:18ZengElsevierMolecular Therapy: Nucleic Acids2162-25312025-09-0136310257510.1016/j.omtn.2025.102575Advantages, applications, and future directions of in vivo aptamer SELEX: A reviewMinchuan Lyu0Chi Ho Chan1Ziqi Chen2Yumeng Liu3Yuanyuan Yu4Institute of Integrated Bioinformedicine and Translational Science (IBTS), School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong SAR 000000, China; Institute of Systems Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong SAR 000000, China; Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area International Research Platform for Aptamer-based Translational Medicine and Drug Discovery, Hong Kong SAR 000000, ChinaInstitute of Integrated Bioinformedicine and Translational Science (IBTS), School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong SAR 000000, China; Institute of Systems Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong SAR 000000, China; Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area International Research Platform for Aptamer-based Translational Medicine and Drug Discovery, Hong Kong SAR 000000, ChinaInstitute of Integrated Bioinformedicine and Translational Science (IBTS), School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong SAR 000000, China; Institute of Systems Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong SAR 000000, China; Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area International Research Platform for Aptamer-based Translational Medicine and Drug Discovery, Hong Kong SAR 000000, ChinaInstitute of Integrated Bioinformedicine and Translational Science (IBTS), School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong SAR 000000, China; Institute of Systems Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong SAR 000000, China; Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area International Research Platform for Aptamer-based Translational Medicine and Drug Discovery, Hong Kong SAR 000000, ChinaInstitute of Integrated Bioinformedicine and Translational Science (IBTS), School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong SAR 000000, China; Institute of Systems Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong SAR 000000, China; Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area International Research Platform for Aptamer-based Translational Medicine and Drug Discovery, Hong Kong SAR 000000, China; Corresponding author: Yuanyuan Yu, Institute of Integrated Bioinformedicine and Translational Science (IBTS), School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong SAR 000000, China.In vivo systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) emerged as a transformative technique for directly identifying aptamers within living organisms. Unlike traditional in vitro methods that often fail to capture the complexity of biological interactions in physiological environments, in vivo SELEX leverages whole living organisms as selection targets. This strategy significantly enhances the specificity, functionality, and physiological relevance of the selected aptamers, making them more viable for therapeutic, diagnostic, and imaging applications. The aim of this review is to elucidate the unique advantages of in vivo SELEX compared to conventional in vitro techniques. It focuses on how in vivo SELEX improves aptamer specificity, physiological relevance, and pharmacokinetic properties, thereby enhancing their potential for use in diagnostics and therapeutics. This review highlights the principles, advancements, and challenges of in vivo SELEX, while discussing its potential to bridge the gap between aptamer discovery and clinical translation. By enabling the selection of aptamers under real physiological conditions, in vivo SELEX addresses critical limitations of in vitro methods, such as off-target effects and poor clinical translatability. The review also explores the applications of in vivo SELEX in various fields, including neurology, oncology, and cardiovascular diseases, and provides insights into future directions for optimizing this technology.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2162253125001295MT: Oligonucleotides: Therapies and Applicationsaptamersin vivo SELEXin vitro SELEX
spellingShingle Minchuan Lyu
Chi Ho Chan
Ziqi Chen
Yumeng Liu
Yuanyuan Yu
Advantages, applications, and future directions of in vivo aptamer SELEX: A review
Molecular Therapy: Nucleic Acids
MT: Oligonucleotides: Therapies and Applications
aptamers
in vivo SELEX
in vitro SELEX
title Advantages, applications, and future directions of in vivo aptamer SELEX: A review
title_full Advantages, applications, and future directions of in vivo aptamer SELEX: A review
title_fullStr Advantages, applications, and future directions of in vivo aptamer SELEX: A review
title_full_unstemmed Advantages, applications, and future directions of in vivo aptamer SELEX: A review
title_short Advantages, applications, and future directions of in vivo aptamer SELEX: A review
title_sort advantages applications and future directions of in vivo aptamer selex a review
topic MT: Oligonucleotides: Therapies and Applications
aptamers
in vivo SELEX
in vitro SELEX
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2162253125001295
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