REVIEW   

Minerva Biotecnologica 2017 June;29(2):89-100

DOI: 10.23736/S1120-4826.16.02172-8

Copyright © 2016 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Camelid variable fragments of heavy chain antibodies (Nanobody): its applications in research, diagnosis and therapy

Hossein AGHAMOLLAEI ¹, Seyed L. MOUSAVI GARGARI ², Mohamad J. RASAEE ³, Mostafa GHANEI ⁴ ✉

¹ Applied Biotechnology Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; ² Department of Biology, Faculty of Basic Science, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran; ³ Medical Biotechnology Department, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran; ⁴ Chemical Injuries Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Camelids produce functional antibodies lacking light chains with their single N-terminal domains capable of binding to antigen. The antigen-binding site of these unusual heavy chain antibodies can be easily generated as recombinant proteins in variety of hosts as single domain antibodies (sdAbs) or nanobodies. The strict monomeric behavior and small size in combination with other biochemical properties including high specificity, affinity and high solubility, make single domain antibodiesas as ideal tools which can be used in different areas. In this review we overview different properties of nanobodies, their production process and their application in biotechnology, imaging, detection, infection treatment, and cancer therapy.

KEY WORDS: Biotechnology - Neoplasms - Diagnosis - Infection - Therapy