Webinar : Tiny but Mighty! Single-Domain Antibodies for Cancer Imaging and Immunotherapies
Tiny but Mighty! Single-Domain Antibodies for Cancer Imaging and Immunotherapies
Dr. Patrick Chames | CRCM
Engineering Smaller Antibodies for Smarter Cancer Immunotherapies
How can small antibody fragments make T-cell therapies more selective, reach tumors more effectively, and limit harmful cytokine release?
Discover how VHH single-domain antibodies, immune synapse engineering, and DNA nanotechnology are shaping next-generation T-cell engagers and targeted cancer immunotherapies.
About the Webinar
Dr. Patrick Chames from CRCM explores synthetic immunology and the engineering of the immune synapse between T cells and tumor cells to improve T-cell engager design.
The presentation focuses on VHH single-domain antibodies, compact antibody fragments that can be assembled into bispecific and trispecific molecules to recognize multiple tumor antigens and address antigen heterogeneity and loss.
Different molecular formats, including albumin-binding and Fc-containing constructs, are compared to investigate how molecular size influences tumor penetration and retention in spheroid and animal models.
Experimental results examine trispecific T-cell engagers targeting CD3 alongside EpCAM and EGFR, as well as combinations with dual checkpoint blockade against TGF-beta and PD-1. The talk discusses their effects on T-cell activity and survival in preclinical models.
Finally, the webinar explores DNA nanotechnology as a tool to control the spacing between binding domains. By adjusting molecular distances, researchers investigate whether tumor-cell killing can be preserved while reducing interferon-gamma release. Early DNA origami approaches are also introduced to position nanobodies in defined structures.
Key Topics Covered
Single-Domain Antibodies
VHH nanobodies and their applications in cancer immunotherapy.
Bispecific & Trispecific Engagers
Multi-antigen targeting with CD3, EpCAM, and EGFR.
Tumor Penetration & Retention
Impact of antibody size and molecular format in preclinical models.
Checkpoint Blockade
Combining T-cell engagers with TGF-beta and PD-1 inhibition.
Immune Synapse Engineering
Controlling molecular spacing to balance cytotoxicity and cytokine release.
DNA Nanotechnology
DNA origami and precise positioning of nanobodies.