Aptamers: A Novel for Respective Diagnostics and Therapeutic Tool in Fisheries and Aquaculture

Aptamers: A Novel for Respective Diagnostics and Therapeutic Tool in Fisheries and Aquaculture

Aptamers are oligonucleotides derived from an in-vitro evolution process called SELEX (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment). The oligonucleotides sequences that have the tendency to bind to a wide range of target molecules, such as drugs, proteins or other organic or inorganic molecules with high affinity and specificity. Now, with the development of SELEX process, the isolation of small oligonucleotides that possess the capacity to recognize various classes of target molecules have been made much easier. Aptamers have been evolved to bind proteins which are associated with a number of disease states. These molecules offer a strong potential compare to the antibody classes in terms of therapeutic and diagnostic applications. Aptamers exhibit significant advantages relative to protein therapeutics in terms of size, synthetic accessibility and modification the contempery need for treatment of aquaculture diseases. Till now there no report of application based diagnostics and therapeutics in aquaculture. But with increasing concern on accurate diagnostics tool for diseases like WSSV (Viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus) and other viral diseases of fish and shell fish. Aptamer bears numerous promising avenue likewise DNA vaccine and aptamer based nucleic acid therapeutics will change the course of future therapeutics in aquaculture which is by medicinal chemistry. Despite these associated advantages aptamers are not used on a massive scale commercially, the aptamer-based diagnostic research is still in its infancy. With the increasing use of aptamers in numerous diagnostics, therapeutics and other such aspects, it is likely that the perception of nucleic acid therapeutics will be changed and that aptamers may form the basis of future therapeutics.