Nanobodies - the new concept in antibody engineering

Abstract

Nanobodies are antibody-derived therapeutic proteins that contain the unique structural and functional properties of naturally occurring heavy-chain antibodies. The Nanobody technology was originally
developed following the discovery that camelidae (camels and llamas) possess fully functional antibodies that lack light chains. These heavy-chain antibodies contain a single variable domain (VHH)
and two constant domains (CH2 and CH3). Importantly, the cloned and isolated VHH domain is a perfectly stable polypeptide harboring the full antigen-binding capacity of the original heavy-chain antibody. These newly discovered VHH domains with their unique structural and functional properties form the basis of a new generation of therapeutic antibodies which were named Nanobodies. The aim of this paper is to show the properties of Nanobodies, their production and expression, applications and
their clinical status.