Therapeutic Application of Aptamers as Blood Thinners
Aptamers are RNA or DNA oligonucleotides (or peptides) that, through their 3-dimensional structures, bind to specific target molecules with high affinity and specificity. Aptamers are generated fast and applied in the inhibition, characterization of proteins, and specific detection.
Anticoagulant Therapy
A class of chemical substances used to prevent or reduce coagulation of the blood. Anticoagulant Therapy can prevent formation of dangerous clots that could lead to:
- Atrial fibrillation
- Coronary artery disease
- Deep vein thrombosis (can lead to pulmonary embolism)
- Ischemic stroke
- Hypercoagulable states (e.g., Factor V Leiden) can lead to deep vein thrombosis
- Myocardial infarction
- Restenosis from stents
The use of anticoagulant therapy is determined based on the risk and benefits of anticoagulation. There is a tight balance as the therapy may increase the risk of bleeding in patients if not properly administered.
Why Thrombin?
Thrombin is an enzyme found in the blood plasma that causes:
- Clotting by converting fibrinogen to fibrin.
- The aggregation of platelets that lead to platelet plug formation and aids in the initial phase of the clotting cascade.
- Activation of factors V, VIII, and XI that feedback into the generation of more thrombin.
Aptamer-Based Blood Thinner
Drug development process is divided into multiple stages. It starts with basic science research for a new drug in the laboratory.
- This step was successfully accomplished at Ayass Bioscience, LLC, where we identified an aptamer-based blood thinner that is a direct thrombin inhibitor with an antidote to neutralize and reverse the drug effect.
- The second stage is pre-clinical research that is performed on animals in order to address basic safety and efficacy questions followed by clinical trials on human subjects.
Antidote for Aptamer-Based Blood Thinner
Ayass Bioscience, LLC Aptamer discovery does not only lower the cost of blood clotting therapy but also introduces a therapeutic drug with its antidote to neutralize the effect of the medication and avoid excessive bleeding.
Both the drug and antidote are aptamer based, making them cheaper to synthesize, with less batch to batch variation and higher stability than antibody based therapies.
