Peptide based CE-SELEX enables isolation of aptamers that recognize CD20-expressing cells

In the late 90's, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) became a major tool for therapeutic purposes.However, some restrictions provided strong arguments for the development of alternative agents like aptamers that integrate the benefits of mAbs while circumventing these limits. We propose to design small synthetic mimics of Rituximab, which is used to treat some lymphomas by targeting the CD20 antigen. DNA aptamers were chosen as recognition elements because of their low immunogenicity, their high affinity for their target, their chemical stability and the fact that their production is carried out by organic synthesis.Among methods used to produce aptamers, CE-SELEX (capillary electrophoresis-systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment) technique was preferred due to its multiple benefits such as less consumption of samples, natural binding environments, and a higher screening efficiency.