Dear Colleagues,

Nucleic acids are important endogenous molecules in nature, which play critical roles in biological functions. With the progress in the field, various natural and artificial nucleic acids have been discovered as promising agents for diseases theranostics. For example, microRNA, siRNA, ceRNA, 16s rRNA, and lncRNA have been extensively studied as probe to explore the pathogenesis of the disease. Recently, the Crispr cas9 systems have attracted particular attention for gene therapy, while the delivery of mRNA is also attractive as vaccine for diseases prevention and treatment. Most of these functional nucleic acids are endogenous, which affect the body's physiological functions by regulating downstream protein signaling pathways and protein metabolites. Therefore, through meta-analysis and other means, the mechanism of action of such functional nucleic acids can be explored. On the other hand, many artificial nucleic acids, such aptamers and DNAzymes, have also been applied in multi-disciplinary fields. Aptamers are single-stranded nucleic acids that selectively bind to target molecules, while DNAzymes are catalytically active DNA molecules, and most of these molecules were obtained through a combinatorial selection process. Technological and scientific advances facilitate the isolation and characterizations of novel functional nucleic acids, allowing the development of multi-functional DNA-based platforms for disease theranostics. Despite significant efforts over the past 30 years, the clinical translation of functionals nucleic acids remains a challenge.

This Special Issue of Molecules will cover the major advancements of functional nucleic acids in disease theranostic applications. It will report on the isolation, characterization, and biological applications of functional nucleic acids, fundamental understanding the biological functions of the nucleic acids, the development of related biosensors for disease diagnosis, therapeutics for disease treatment, as well as well multifunctional nucleic acids for disease theranostics.

Prof. Dr. Wenhu Zhou
Prof. Dr. Biwu Liu
Dr. Yanjing Yang
Guest Editors

• functional nucleic acids
• biosensor
• diagnosis
• therapy