| Synthesis |
Chemically synthesized and easy to produce |
High cost and complexity of production |
| Size |
Small compared to antibodies |
Large |
| Stability |
Prone to nuclease degradation |
Short biological half-life |
| Targets |
Wide range of targets, starting from ions to whole living cells |
Produced only against immunogenic molecules, which limits the range of targets |
| Toxicity and Immunogenicity |
Low toxicity and non-immunogenic |
Immunogenic |
| Binding Specificity |
High binding specificity |
High binding specificity |
| Binding Affinity |
High binding affinity |
High binding affinity |
| Clearance Rate |
Rapid circulation clearance |
Low clearance rate |
| Chemical Conjugation |
Easy to conjugate to nanoparticles and drugs |
More difficult to conjugate |
| Chemical modification |
Tolerant to chemical modifications to enhance structural and functional propertie |
Modifications often lead to reduced activity |
