Core Insights - The article discusses the development of nucleic acid aptamer-based therapeutics by a research team led by Academician Tan Weihong from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, focusing on potential treatments for Alzheimer's disease and triple-negative breast cancer [2][9]. Group 1: Alzheimer's Disease Treatment - The research team developed Apt-M, a nucleic acid aptamer-armed monocyte therapy, which targets and clears extracellular Tau protein, alleviating neuroinflammation in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease [4][6]. - Treatment with Apt-M resulted in reduced activation of glial cells, alleviated neuroinflammation, and preserved neuronal and mitochondrial integrity, leading to improved memory and spatial learning abilities in the Alzheimer's mouse model without causing toxicity or behavioral side effects [6][8]. Group 2: Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Treatment - The team introduced CD4 aptamer-engineered cell platforms (Apt CD4-LNT) that selectively recruit and activate CD4+ T cells, enhancing anti-tumor immunity in triple-negative breast cancer [10][12]. - This approach aims to overcome challenges related to poor tumor infiltration and immunosuppressive tumor microenvironments, thereby promoting targeted infiltration and activation of CD4+ T cells, which in turn enhances the activity of NK cells, B cells, and dendritic cells [12][14]. Group 3: Cancer Therapy with Aptamer-Drug Conjugates - The research also presented Sgc8c-M, an aptamer-drug conjugate (ApDC) combining a potent anti-mitotic agent MMAE with the PTK7 nucleic acid aptamer, showing promise in treating cancers that overexpress PTK7 [16][17]. - Comprehensive evaluations from rodents to non-human primates indicated that Sgc8c-M effectively induced sustained tumor regression in xenograft models, outperforming unlinked MMAE, the chemotherapy drug paclitaxel, and a PTK7-targeted antibody-drug conjugate [17][19].

Core Viewpoint - Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by the gradual decline of memory and cognitive functions, with a focus on the complex interactions of various disorders leading to neurodegeneration rather than solely targeting specific neuronal features [2] Group 1: Research Findings - A recent study published in Nature Biomedical Engineering developed aptamer-armed monocytes (Apt-M) that can target and clear extracellular Tau protein, alleviating neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's disease mouse models and improving memory and spatial learning abilities without causing toxicity [3][8] - Monocytes, particularly the Ly6C+ inflammatory subset, can migrate across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and differentiate into macrophages, which can phagocytize neurotoxic substances like Aβ, potentially slowing the progression of neurodegeneration [6] - The study highlights that the engineered Apt-M can effectively penetrate the BBB and accumulate in Tau-rich brain regions, significantly reducing Tau protein burden and suppressing neuroinflammation, thereby maintaining neuronal and mitochondrial integrity [8][10] Group 2: Mechanism and Implications - The research indicates that enhancing the beneficial functions of monocytes is ideal for treating Alzheimer's disease, as they can be modified to improve their efficacy in clearing toxic proteins [6][7] - The use of nucleic acid aptamers, which are short single-stranded DNA or RNA oligonucleotides, allows for targeted delivery and effective clearance of Tau proteins, presenting a promising strategy for Alzheimer's disease intervention [7][10] - Overall, the study suggests that nucleic acid aptamer-guided monocytes provide a novel approach for targeted delivery, effective clearance, and sustained neuroprotection in Alzheimer's disease treatment [10]