A llama single domain anti-idiotypic antibody mimicking HER2 as a vaccine: Immunogenicity and efficacy

HER2 over-expression in breast cancer correlates with reduced survival. Anti-idiotypic antibodies (Abs) that closely mimic HER2 could play a crucial role in the development of effective therapeutic vaccines. Here, we show that an anti-idiotypic single domain antibody (sdAb) 1HE isolated from a library generated from a Trastuzumab F(ab′)2-immunized llama, closely mimics HER2. SdAb 1HE shows high affinity for Trastuzumab F(ab′)2, selectively inhibits HER2 binding to Trastuzumab F(ab′)2, and sera from sdAb 1HE-immunized BALB/c mice contain anti-HER2 antibodies that inhibit viability of HER2-positive cells. These results indicate that sdAb 1HE could be used as an anti-idiotype-based vaccine to boost immunity in patients bearing HER2-positive tumours.