Drug-delivering aptamers target leukemia stem cells for one-two knockout punch

Drug-carrying DNA snippets called aptamers can deliver a one-two punch to leukemia by precisely targeting the elusive cancer stem cells that seed cancer relapses, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign report.

The aptamers — short single-strand snippets of DNA that can target molecules like larger antibodies do — not only deliver cancer-fighting drugs, but also are themselves toxic to the cancer stem cells, the researchers said.

Source: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign News.