Veterinární medicína, 2012 (vol. 57), issue 9

Single-domain antibody fragments derived from heavy-chain antibodies: a review

L. Eyer, K. Hruska

Vet Med - Czech, 2012, 57(9):439-513 | DOI: 10.17221/6336-VETMED  

Single-domain antibody (sdAb) fragments derived from heavy-chain antibodies of camelids and cartilaginous fish represent a new generation of therapeutic agents and immunoreagents. Due to their unique characteristics, such as low molecular weight, high physical-chemical stability, good water solubility, and the ability to bind antigens inaccessible to conventional antibodies, they could potentially act as a substitute for conventional therapeutic drugs in the treatment of serious human diseases, and, moreover, could be broadly used in analyses and diagnostics. In this review article, an analysis of 826 publications oriented to heavy-chain antibodies...