AptViralDB: A Repository of Experimentally Validated Antiviral Aptamers
In an era of increasing drug resistance, exploring alternative molecules is crucial for the efficient management and treatment of viral diseases. Nucleic acid aptamers have emerged as highly promising candidates due to their exceptional target specificity, low immunogenicity, and versatile mechanisms for viral blocking. This manuscript describes AptViralDB, a manually curated database providing comprehensive information on experimentally validated antiviral aptamers. It contains 1,768 entries of antiviral aptamers against 40 viral species and 104 molecular targets, compiled from literature and existing databases. Each entry provides detailed annotations, including sequence, aptamer type, target, chemical modifications, binding affinity, antiviral activity, stability, and cytotoxicity. We also provide predicted secondary structures and their corresponding minimum free energy (MFE) values. Additionally, a knowledge graph created using ArcadeDB/openCypher enables users to seamlessly explore connections among aptamers, viruses, molecular targets, and biological activities. Finally, the platform offers advanced search and browsing tools, BLAST-based sequence similarity searches, GC-content analysis, downloadable datasets, and REST API access to support computational applications. (https://webs.iiitd.edu.in/raghava/aptviraldb/).