Aptamers as candidate therapeutics for cardiovascular indications.

The first therapeutic aptamer was approved for human use in 2004, and a range of chemical substitutions that improve the drug-like properties of aptamers has recently been shown to increase the utility of this modality. Currently there are both anticoagulant and antithrombotic aptamers in the clinic, and additionally there are a number of earlier stage projects in which a variety of cardiovascular targets are inhibited by specific aptamers and for which a wide range of therapeutic applications has been suggested.