title: Single-chain antibodies as diagnostic tools and therapeutic agents.
abstract: Over three decades after the generation of the first mouse monoclonal antibodies by Kohler and Milstein, recombinant antibodies are the fastest growing class of therapeutic proteins. Furthermore, antibodies are key detection reagents in research and diagnostics. Technology improvements have provided several approaches to manufacturing human antibodies with high affinity for biologically relevant targets. Approximately 300 development programs for therapeutic antibodies have been reported in industrial and academic laboratories, and this clearly demonstrates the expectations towards antibody technology. Antibody fragments are a subclass with growing clinical importance. This review focuses on single-chain antibodies as one of the smallest possible format for recombinant antibodies and their use as diagnostic tools and therapeutic agents. We describe the structure, selection and production of single-chain antibodies. Furthermore, we review current applications of antibody fragments focusing on thrombus targeting using fibrin- and platelet-specific single-chain antibodies as well as describing novel noninvasive imaging approaches for the diagnosis of thrombosis and inflammation.
authors.affiliation: Atherothrombosis and Vascular Biology, Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, PO Box 6492 St Kilda Road Central, Melbourne, Victoria 8008, Australia. christoph.hagemeyer@bakeridi.edu.au
authors.forename: Christoph E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Hagemeyer
authors.forename: Constantin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: von Zur Muhlen
authors.forename: Dominik
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: von Elverfeldt
authors.forename: Karlheinz
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Peter
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D001779:Blood Coagulation Factors / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D003593:Cytoplasm; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007128:Immunoglobulin Fragments / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D007159:Immunologic Tests; D007167:Immunotherapy; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D051379:Mice; D015202:Protein Engineering; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D001779:Blood Coagulation Factors; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents; D007128:Immunoglobulin Fragments; D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins