Browsing by Author "Magez, Stefan"

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    An Anti-proteome Nanobody Library Approach Yields a Specific Immunoassay for Trypanosoma congolense Diagnosis Targeting Glycosomal Aldolase
    (PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2016) Odongo, Steven; Sterckx, Yann G. J.; Stijlemans, Benoît; Pillay, Davita; Muyldermans, Serge; Magez, Stefan
    Infectious diseases pose a severe worldwide threat to human and livestock health. While early diagnosis could enable prompt preventive interventions, the majority of diseases are found in rural settings where basic laboratory facilities are scarce. Under such field conditions, point-of-care immunoassays provide an appropriate solution for rapid and reliable diagnosis. The limiting steps in the development of the assay are the identification of a suitable target antigen and the selection of appropriate high affinity capture and detection antibodies. To meet these challenges, we describe the development of a Nanobody (Nb)-based antigen detection assay generated from a Nb library directed against the soluble proteome of an infectious agent. In this study, Trypanosoma congolense was chosen as a model system.
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    Nanobodies: A Review of Generation, Diagnostics and Therapeutics
    (International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2023) Jin, Bo-kyung; Odongo, Steven; Radwanska, Magdalena; Magez, Stefan
    Nanobodies, also referred to as single domain-based VHHs, are antibody fragments derived from heavy-chain only IgG antibodies found in the Camelidae family. Due to their small size, simple structure, high antigen binding affinity, and remarkable stability in extreme conditions, nanobodies possess the potential to overcome several of the limitations of conventional monoclonal antibodies. For many years, nanobodies have been of great interest in a wide variety of research fields, particularly in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. This culminated in the approval of the world’s first nanobody based drug (Caplacizumab) in 2018 with others following soon thereafter. This review will provide an overview, with examples, of (i) the structure and advantages of nanobodies compared to conventional monoclonal antibodies, (ii) methods used to generate and produce antigen-specific nanobodies, (iii) applications for diagnostics, and (iv) ongoing clinical trials for nanobody therapeutics as well as promising candidates for clinical development.