IP Library › Granted Patent US 12692501
Granted Patent B2
US 12692501 · App. 17/816,273 · Granted Jul 28, 2026

Aptamer nanofibers and kill-switches and uses thereof

Inventors: Kirill Afonin (Charlotte, NC); Nikolay Dokholyan (Hummelstown, PA)
Assignees: The University of North Carolina at Charlotte; The Penn State Research Foundation
C12N15/115B82Y5/00C12N2310/16C12N2320/50
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12692501
App. No.
17/816,273
Granted
Jul 28, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

This invention relates to nanofibers comprising aptamers, which have increased stability and activity relative to free aptamers. The invention further relates to kill-switch nanofibers which disrupt the aptamer nanofibers. The invention further relates to methods of using the aptamer nanofibers and the kill-switch nanofibers to regulate the activity of extracellular targets recognized by the aptamers.

Claims (20)

1 . A single strand DNA molecule comprising:

a) a polynucleotide of about 40 to about 70 nucleotides in length, the polynucleotide comprising:

an RNA binding sequence of about 20 to about 30 nucleotides in length; and

a toehold sequence of about 10 to about 20 nucleotides length linked to the 5′ and 3′ ends of the RNA binding sequence; and

b) an aptamer linked to the 5′ and/or 3′ end of the polynucleotide;

wherein the aptamer(s) binds an extracellular target.

2 . A complex comprising the single strand DNA molecule of claim 1 , wherein the single strand DNA molecule is hybridized to a single strand RNA molecule of about 20 to about 30 nucleotides in length that is at least 80% complementary to the RNA binding sequence of the single strand DNA molecule.

3 . The single strand DNA molecule of claim 1 , wherein the polynucleotide is about 40 to about 50 nucleotides in length.

4 . The single strand DNA molecule of claim 1 , wherein the RNA binding sequence is about 25 to about 27 nucleotides in length.

5 . The single strand DNA molecule of claim 1 , wherein the toehold sequence is about 12 to about 15 nucleotides in length.

6 . The single strand DNA molecule of claim 1 , wherein the aptamer is a DNA aptamer.

7 . The single strand DNA molecule of claim 1 wherein the aptamer is an RNA aptamer.

8 . The single strand DNA molecule of claim 1 , wherein the aptamer and/or the polynucleotide comprise one or more chemically modified nucleotides.

9 . The single strand DNA molecule of claim 1 , wherein the aptamer is linked to the 5′ end of the polynucleotide.

10 . The single strand DNA molecule of claim 1 , wherein the aptamer is linked to the 3′ end of the polynucleotide.

11 . The single strand DNA molecule of claim 1 , wherein the aptamer is linked to the 5′ end of the polynucleotide and the 3′ end of the polynucleotide and the aptamers are the same.

12 . The single strand DNA molecule of claim 1 , wherein the aptamer is linked to the 5′ end of the polynucleotide and the 3′ end of the polynucleotide and the aptamers are different.

13 . The single strand DNA molecule of claim 1 , wherein the aptamer(s) bind thrombin.

14 . The single strand DNA molecule of claim 13 , wherein the aptamer(s) are selected from NU172, RA-36, ARC 183, HD1, HD22, TBA, Toggle-25t, TBA15/G15D, TBA29, 5′-thiol modified thrombin-binding aptamer, anti-thrombin aptamer with caged thymidine nucleobases, modified thrombin binding aptamer (mTBA), aptamer number 5, or 31-TBA.

15 . The complex of claim 2 , wherein the single strand RNA molecule is about 25 to about 27 nucleotides in length.