October 2. /TASS/. Scientists have completed one of the key stages in development of "therapeutic" molecules, aptamers, which can find the target cells of the body and affect them. The experiments may allow to create new drugs for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and other diseases, the Siberian Federal University's press service said on Thursday. The results were published in the scientific journal Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry.
Aptamers are artificial molecules based on short chains of DNA or RNA. They can find target molecules in the human body and make connection with them, which can be used in medicine. Scientists believe, for instance, that aptamers will be able to accurately display cancer-affected cells, which will make the treatment more effective and safe for healthy tissues.
"SFU scientists as part of an international research team conducted experiments to measure the 3D structures of aptamers in liquid solution in order to later develop "agents" with a more accurate space structure. It is expected that they will best cope with therapeutic medical tasks," the SFU press service said with a reference to one of the authors of the work, an employee of the Siberian Federal University, Felix Tomilin.
As part of the experiments conducted at the synchrotron at the National Research Center Kurchatov Institute, the authors obtained data on the shape and spatial distribution of electron density in the aptamer, which helps to avoid thrombosis during surgeries. This allowed scientists to build a theoretical three-dimensional model that is used in the creation and improvement of agent molecules to tackle diseases.
“We managed to prove that the three-dimensional structure of the said aptamer obtained as a result of the calculations has the most energetically favorable configuration in solution. Such aptamers will be effective as independent therapeutic agents, similar molecules can also become a convenient "means of transportaion" for the delivery of drugs or, for example, photoproteins — luminous molecules which are able to signal the cells of the human body affected by a disease," a co-author of the study and an employee of the Krasnoyarsky Federal Scientific Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Roman Moryachkov, explained to TASS.