Therapeutic application of antibody fragments in autoimmune diseases: current state and prospects

Over the past decades, conventional antibodies have been dissected through different strategies into smaller antigen-binding fragments. Therapeutic solutions built on such fragments can offer several advantages, including the capacity to access challenging epitopes, reduced immunogenicity, lower production costs, and higher stability. Although the development of antibody fragments for cancer therapy has received more attention than any other potential therapeutic application, the development of pharmacological tools based on these molecules for the treatment of autoimmune diseases (AIDs) has been growing at a fast pace. Here, I provide an in-depth characterization of the various formats for the treatment of autoimmune diseases in development across the industry, including antigen-binding fragments (Fab), single-chain variable fragments (scFv), and single variable-domain fragments, as well as multimeric antibody fragments and antibody–drug conjugates.