Single-domain antibodies as building blocks for novel therapeutics

Antibodies are large and complex molecules, with two identical parts that bind independently of each other onto the antigen and the third part of the molecule that dictates the effector function(s). To improve the therapeutic value of antibodies, protein-engineering endeavors reduced the size of the antigen-binding moiety to a single-domain unit. Occasionally, it was demonstrated that the single-domain antigen-binding derivatives of antibodies can have — on their own — an agonistic (or antagonistic) effect on their target. The small size and strict monomeric behavior, in combination with other biochemical properties such as high solubility and high specificity and affinity for the cognate antigen, make single-domain antibodies ideal to design novel man-made conjugates harnessed with innovative effector functions outside the reach of classical antibodies.