Aptabodies™ (NextGEN Aptamers)
What Is An Aptabody™?
An aptabody™ is a supramolecular form of an aptamer ligand containing a wide variety of functional groups. The aptamer component acts as a scaffold to hold into place one or more functional groups such as amino acids, fatty acids, carbohydrates, small molecules and/or metals in a unique orientation in 3-D space.
The order and proximity of these functional groups play a role in enhanced functionalities ranging from higher affinity and specificity over "naked" aptamers, to enzyme biomimetics, improved molecular targeting in vivo, cellular trafficking, pharmacokinetics/dynamics, and drug-like properties.
Note: Conventional antibodies have a chemical alphabet of the naturally occurring amino acids. Aptabodies™, by definition, have a chemical alphabet of all amino acids, fatty acids, as well as synthetic compounds, co-factors, metal ions, and more.
Artificial Molecules
Can aptabodies represent a class of artificial molecules with tailored, designed functionality — bridging the gap between small-molecule chemistry and biological recognition?
