Format of bispecific antibodies (BsAbs)-Diabody

SOCAIL MEDIA

Diabody is a noncovalent dimer of single-chain Fv (scFv) fragment that consists of the heavy chain variable (VH) and light chain variable (VL) regions connected by a small peptide linker. Another form of diabody is single-chain (Fv)2 in which two scFv fragments are covalently linked to each other. bispecific bivalent dimers are produced by using two different chains with the same orientation, the first containing the VH of Antibody 1 and the VL of Antibody 2, and the second containing the VH of Antibody 2 and the VL of Antibody 1 (Fig. 1). Varying the linker length by only one amino acid may shift the equilibrium completely to another oligomeric state with the lowest complexity being most favorable. Diabodies are one of the smallest recombinant BsAbs and the distance between the two antigen-binding sites is only 6.5 nm on average, which is less than half the distance in IgG. This compact size contribute to rapid pharmacokinetics, low immunogenicity and high tumor penetration.

Fig. 1. A bispecific diabody composed of two different chains, each containing a VL and VH from different antibodies, in a head-to-tail arrangement (adopted from: Bates A, Power CA. (2019) David vs. Goliath: The Structure, Function, and Clinical Prospects of Antibody Fragments. Antibodies, 8:28).

Formats of bispecific antibodies (BsAbs)

Many formats have been developed for BsAb generation as listed in the following table.

FormatSchematic structureDescriptionExample BsAbTrademark Company
tandem VHHTandem VHH fragment-based BsAbN/A
tandem scFvPicture loading failed.Tandem ScFv fragment-based BsAbAMG330BiTETMAmgen
Dual-affinity re-targeting antibodyPicture loading failed.Tandem domain-exchanged Fv (can also be used to fuse with Fc domain to create whole Abs)FlotetuzumabDARTTMMacrogenics
DiabodyPicture loading failed.dimer of single-chain Fv (scFv) fragmentvixtimotamabReSTORETMAmphivena Therapeutics
(scFv)2-FabPicture loading failed.a Fab domain and two scFv domains bindA-337ITabTMGeneron/EVIVE Biotech
Rat–mouse hybrid IgGPicture loading failed.Full-size IgG-like half antibodies from two different speciesCatumaxomabTriomabTMTrion Pharma
Hetero heavy chain, Common light chainPicture loading failed.Hetero heavy chain, Common light chainEmicizumabART-IgTMGenentech/ Chugai/Roche
Controlled Fab arm exchangePicture loading failed.Recombin the parental half antibodies JNJ-64007957DuobodyTMGenmab/ Janssen
Hetero H, forced HL IgG1Picture loading failed.KIH technology for heterodimerization of 2 distinct H chains, replacing the native disulfide bond in one of the CH1-CL interfaces with an engineered disulfide bond to enhance the cognate of H and L paringMEDI5752DuetMabTMMedImmune/ AstraZeneca
cH IgG1Picture loading failed.Identical heavy chains; 2 different light chains: one kappa (κ) and one lambda (λ)NI-1701κλ bodyTMNovimmune SA
Hetero H, CrossMabPicture loading failed.KIH technology; domain crossover of immunoglobulin domains in the Fab regionVanucizumabCrossMabTMRoche
scFv-Fab IgGPicture loading failed.Fab-Fc; ScFv-FcVibecotamab;
M802
XmabTM (the engineered Fc to enhance the generation of heterodimeric Fc);
YBODYTM
Xencor/Amgen; YZYBio
VH1-VH2-CH1-Fc1(G1) x VL2-VL1-CL-Fc2(G1)Picture loading failed.2 binding motif in one half antibodySAR440234CODV-IgTMSanofi
VL1-CL1-VH2-CH2-Fc x VH1-CH1 x VL2-CL2Picture loading failed.2 binding motif in one half antibodyEMB-01FIT-IgTMEPIMAB BIOTHERAPEUTICS
VH-1-TCR Cα x VL-1-TCR Cβ; VH-2-CH-2-Fc x VL-2-CL-2Picture loading failed.KIH technology; TCR Cα/Cβ is used to substitute the CH1 and CL domain in one armWuXibodyTMWuXi Biologics
C-terminal linker of FcPicture loading failed.Link the other molecules at the C-terminal of FcAPVO442ADAPTIR-FLEXTMAptevo Therapeutics
Fc antigen binding sitePicture loading failed.2 natural binding sites; 2 additional binding sites in the Fc loopFS118mAb2F-star Therapeutics