Nanobodies are highly water-soluble and stable, have high specificity, and can bind their targets with very high affinity, often in the low nanomolar range.
In addition to conventional antibodies, camelids, such as llamas and alpacas, have unique heavy-chain-only antibodies [1]. These antibodies are unique in that the variable regions are encompassed by a single domain (VHH) instead of two separate domains (VH and VL) as seen in conventional antibodies [2]. The variable domains of the camelid heavy-chain-only antibodies have found widespread applications in biomedical research.
Nanobodies are highly water-soluble and stable, have high specificity, and can bind to their targets with high affinity, often in the low nanomolar range [3]. VHHs are stable as single-domain antibodies because of several mutations on their surface that allow them to be water soluble [3]. In particular, several residues that would be at the VH–VL interface in conventional antibodies are mutated for hydrophobic to hydrophilic residues (G44E, L45R, and W47G) (Figure 1Figure 2), enhancing their stability and solubility as a single domain. In addition, there is a solubility enhancing mutation, most commonly found in camel VHHs, at the VH–CH1 interface (L11S) (Figure 1Figure 2A,C).
Figure 12.
A
B
C
The factor contributing to the high affinity of these nanobodies is that their frameworks have three complementarity-determining regions (CDRs). These CDRs are analogous to those found in human antibody VH and VL domains and are subject to somatic hypermutation in the course of affinity maturation. The CDR3 of VHHs is especially long in comparison to the human counterpart [4]. The length and flexibility of VHH CDR3s enable the nanobody to access a variety of conformations. In some cases, VHH CDR3s are able to fold back and make contact with the nanobody framework [4]. Taken together, these factors compensate for the lack of sequence variability incurred by the loss of VL CDRs, allowing VHHs to bind to their targets with high specificity and affinity (FigureFigure 1C,D and 1Figure 2A).
Methods of generating nanobodies against an antigen of interest have already been well established [2]. In brief, a llama or alpaca (among a variety of other camelids) is immunized against the antigen(s) of interest [2]. Administration of the protein antigen is typically accompanied by an immune adjuvant that serves to enhance the overall immune response [5]. Several weeks later, blood is harvested from the immunized animal and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) are purified. This purification is then followed by total RNA extraction, VHH amplification, and finally, the construction of a phage display library. Phage display libraries are among the most common methods of preparing nanobody libraries, but other methods, such as E. coli or yeast display, could alternatively be used [2][6][7]. Finally, the lead VHHs are identified and expressed as soluble proteins using reliable approaches, such as magnetic-activated cell sorting (MACS), fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), or panning against immobilized antigens (Figure 2Figure 3) [8][9][10].
Figure 23. Generation of a nanobody library. To create an immune library, camelids are immunized against a molecule of interest. mRNA of the camelids’ peripheral blood mononuclear cells is then converted into cDNA. PCR is then employed to amplify the VHH genes. These immune VHH genes will then be cloned into a phage display vector. Phages are then generated using E. coli strains such as TG1. Phage libraries are then panned against immobilized antigens to select for nanobodies that selectively bind the antigen with high affinity. The panned libraries are then used for reinfection of E. coli to obtain specific clones.
The short circulatory half-life of nanobodies have allowed the use of a range of isotopes with short half-lives for imaging, such as Galium-68 (68Ga, t1/2 = 67.71 min) and 18F (t1/2 = 109.7 min), as well as longer-lived isotopes, such as Technetium-99m (99mTc t1/2 = 6.0 h), Copper-64 (64Cu t1/2 = 12.7 h), Indium-111 (111In t1/2 = 67.2 h), Zirconium-89 (89Zr t1/2 = 78.41 h), and Lutetium-177 (177Lu t1/2 = 6.7 days). Similar to other antibody fragments, nanobodies are commonly labeled nonspecifically via their side-chain lysine residues using chelators or radioisotopes that are functionalized with amine-reactive groups such as N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) or isothiocyanatobenzyl (pSCN) groups. While this strategy is robust and reproducible, it is not site-specific, which may damage antigen-binding sites [11]. To address this issue and to ensure the binding capacity is not compromised, a variety of site-specific labeling approaches, such as the use of sortase technology, have been developed [12]. Another common approach is using a His6 tag to install 99mTc, a commonly used SPECT isotope [13].
Biopsies will likely remain the gold standard of cancer diagnostics for the foreseeable future; however, biopsies can sometimes be unrepresentative of the greater TME or targeted organ. Non-invasive immuno-PET imaging, as an adjunct to biopsies, can provide a holistic view of the TME and offer a complete insight into both primary and metastatic tumors. Information revealed via imaging can help to make informed treatment decisions. Imaging is also beneficial in understanding the progression and pathogenesis of a variety of diseases, such as fibrosis, cardiovascular complications, arthritis, and neurological diseases. Therefore, immuno-PET imaging is a potentially revolutionary addition to disease management and treatment.
[12]
[19]
[2][20]. The increasing availability of commercial sources for immunization and identification of lead candidates, along with advancements in the development of synthetic libraries will continue to help provide easier access to new nanobodies against antigens of interest. While we have focused on the imaging applications of nanobodies, they also can be used as therapeutics, as a molecular biology tool for mechanistic studies, and to investigate biological processes. With the recent FDA approval of a nanobody-based treatment (Caplacizumab, a bivalent nanobody) and the clinical translation of several nanobodies, the repertoire of available nanobodies is only expected to grow in the years to come (Table 1).
Table 1.
Target | Agent | Reactivity | Clinical Trials: Stage and Status (If Applicable) | References | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
EGFR | 99m | Tc-8B6 | Human | Preclinical | [7] | |||||||
99m | Tc-7C12 | Human | Preclinical | [21] | ||||||||
HER2 | 177 | Lu-2Rs15dHIS | Human | Preclinical | [22] | |||||||
18 | F-FB-2Rs15d | Murine | Preclinical | [23] | ||||||||
18 | F-RL-I-5F7 | Murine | Preclinical | [24] | ||||||||
68 | Ga-2Rs15d | Human | Clinical | [23][25] | ||||||||
HER3 | 89 | Zr-MSB0010853 | Murine | Preclinical | [26] | |||||||
CEA | 99m | Tc-NbCEA5 | Human | Preclinical | [27] | |||||||
PSMA | 111 | In-JVZ007 | Human | Preclinical | [28] | |||||||
HGF | 89 | Zr-1E2, | 89 | Zr-6E10 | Human | Preclinical | [29] | |||||
CD20 | 68 | Ga-9079 | Human | Preclinical | [30] | |||||||
CD38 | 68 | Ga-NOTA-Nb1053 | Murine | Preclinical | [31] | |||||||
Mesothelin | 99m | Tc-A1, | 99m | Tc-C6 | Human | Preclinical | [32] | |||||
MMR | 99m | Tc-d a-MMR Nb cl1 | Murine | Preclinical | [33][34] | |||||||
18 | F-FB-anti-MMR 3.49 | Human, Murine | Preclinical | [35] | ||||||||
68 | Ga-NOTA-Anti-MMR-VHH2 | Human | Clinical, NCT04168528 (Active) | [36] | ||||||||
MHC II | [ | 18 | F]FDG -VHH7 | Murine | Preclinical | [37] | ||||||
64 | Cu- VHH4 | Human | Preclinical | [38] | ||||||||
CD11b | 89 | Zr-VHHDC13 (PEGylated) |
Murine | Preclinical | [39] | |||||||
18 | F-VHHDC13 | Human | Preclinical | [40] | ||||||||
CD8 | 89 | Zr-VHH-X118 (PEGylated) |
Murine | Preclinical | [12] | |||||||
68 | Ga-NOTA-SNA006 | Human | Preclinical | [41] | ||||||||
Mouse Dendritic Cells | 99m | Tc-Nb-DC2.1 | Murine | Preclinical | [42] | |||||||
99m | Tc-Nb-DC1.8 | Murine | Preclinical | [42] | ||||||||
PD-L1 | 18 | F-B3, | 18 | F-A12, | 64 | Cu-B3 | Murine | Preclinical | [43] | |||
99m | Tc-C3, | 99m | Tc-C7, | 99m | Tc-E2, | 99m | Tc-E4, | 99m | Tc-K2 | Murine | Preclinical | [44][45][46][47] |
68 | Ga-NOTA-Nb109 | Human | Preclinical | [48] | ||||||||
99m | Tc-NM-01 | Human | Clinical, NCT02978196 (Concluded) |
[49] | ||||||||
89 | Zr-envafolimab (Fc fusion) |
Human | Clinical, NCT03638804 (Active) |
[50][51] | ||||||||
CTLA-4 | 18 | F-H11, | 89 | Zr-H11 | Murine | Preclinical | [51][52] | |||||
LAG-3 | 99m | Tc-anti-moLAG-3 3206, | 99m | Tc-anti-moLAG-3 3208, | 99m | Tc-anti-moLAG-3 3132, | 99m | Tc-anti-moLAG-3 3141 | Murine | Preclinical | [53][54] | |
VCAM-1 | 99m | Tc-cAbVCAM1-5 | Human, Murine | Preclinical | [33][55][56][57] | |||||||
FN-EIIIB (ECM) | 64 | Cu-NJB2 | Human, Murine | Preclinical | [58] | |||||||
αSyn | NbSyn2, NbSyn87 (fused to fluorescent proteins for imaging) | Human | Preclinical | [59][60] | ||||||||
DPP6 | 99m | Tc-4hD29 | Human | Preclinical | [61] | |||||||
Vsig4 | 99m | Tc-NbV4 | Murine | Preclinical | [62][63] | |||||||
Clec4F (KC) | 99m | Tc-NbC4 | Murine | Preclinical | [62] |