Peptide aptamers: powerful new tools for molecular medicine

One of the major goals in molecular medicine is to understand the basis of human diseases at the molecular level and to translate this information int o new strategies for diagnosis and therapy. Peptide aptamers represent a no vel generation of molecules, which are selected for their intracellular bin ding to a given target protein. They are useful tools for basic science in blocking the intracellular function of a target protein with high specifici ty, thereby allowing the study of distinct physiological and pathological p rocesses within living cells. In addition, peptide aptamers provide a basis for the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, with i mplications for a broad variety of different disease entities, including me tabolic disorders, infections, and cancer.