Recombinant antibody fragment therapeutics: Current status and future prospects of scFv, nanobody, and mimotopes

Antibodies have been highly attracted in treating various diseases such as cancer and viral infections over traditional chemical treatments to improve efficiency. However, their large size, side effects, and high production cost have led researchers to develop novel therapeutic approaches based on recombinant antibodies such as single-chain variable fragments (scFvs), nanobodys, and mimotopes. These recombinant antibodies have unique characteristics including small size, high resistance to pH, rapid clearance from the body, and less binding affinity compared to whole antibodies. This review provides an overview of the structure, expression, and function of scFv, nanobody, and mimotopes and their diverse applications in diagnosis and clinical treatment. Moreover, the effect of their structure, size, and binding interaction on cell uptake and distribution will be discussed.