Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40989106›Full record

ArticleAntibody therapeutics2025

Broadly reactive anti-VHH antibodies for characterizing, blocking, or activating nanobody-based CAR-T cells.

Scott McComb, Bianca Dupont, Alex Shepherd, Bigitha Bennychen, Anne Marcil, Laura Tamblyn, Shalini Raphael, Joey Sheff, Greg Hussack, Anna N Moraitis and 29 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Antibody therapeutics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

39 authors.

Scott McCombHuman Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, and Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4616-7864
Bianca DupontDepartment of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada.
Alex ShepherdDepartment of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada.
Bigitha BennychenDepartment of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada.
Anne MarcilHuman Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, and Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada.
Laura TamblynHuman Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, and Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada.
Shalini RaphaelHuman Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, and Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada.
Joey SheffHuman Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, and Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9269-6863
Greg HussackHuman Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, and Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada.
Anna N MoraitisHuman Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, and Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada.
Cunle WuHuman Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, and Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada.
Annie AubryHuman Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, and Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada.
Christine GadouryHuman Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, and Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada.
Julie LippensHuman Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, and Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada.
Martine PagéHuman Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, and Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada.
Annie FortinHuman Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, and Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada.
Simon JoubertHuman Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, and Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada.
Linda LamoureuxHuman Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, and Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada.
Marie ParatHuman Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, and Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada.
Pierre PlanteHuman Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, and Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada.
Félix MalenfantHuman Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, and Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada.
Mauro AcchioneHuman Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, and Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada.
Petra PohankovaHuman Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, and Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada.
Joe SchragHuman Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, and Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada.
Andrea AcelHuman Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, and Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada.
Mathieu CoutuHuman Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, and Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada.
Emma SmithHuman Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, and Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada.
Majida El BakkouriHuman Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, and Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada.
Jennifer J HillHuman Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, and Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada.
Tammy-Lynn TremblayHuman Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, and Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada.
Aziza P ManceurHuman Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, and Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada.
Sharlene FaulkesDepartment of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada.
John WebbDeeley Research Centre, British Columbia Cancer Research Institute, Victoria, BC, V8R 6V5, Canada.
Ahmed ZaferHuman Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, and Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada.
Qin ZhuHuman Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, and Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada.
Tina NguyenHuman Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, and Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada.
Robert A PonHuman Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, and Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada.
Risini D WeeratnaHuman Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, and Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada.
Mehdi Arbabi-GhahroudiHuman Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, and Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Production of chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapies depends on antibody reagents to label, isolate, and expand T cell products. We sought to create antibody tools specific for the variable domain of heavy-chain only antibodies (VHHs), also known as nanobodies, used in some CARs. Methods: We immunized a mouse with VHH and selected two murine monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that bind to distinct epitopes in conserved framework regions of llama-derived VHHs, and not to human VH domains. Anti-VHH mAbs were characterized by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, surface plasmon resonance, and hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry; were then tested for cell/tissue labeling and for modulating cellular activity in VHH-CAR-T cells. Results: We produced a high-quality dual-clonal anti-VHH antibody product and confirmed reactivity to over 98% of VHH proteins regardless of their antigenic specificity, with no reactivity to human or mouse IgG and reduced reactivity to conventional llama or alpaca IgG. Anti-VHH binding did not disrupt VHH/antigen interaction, and thus was appropriate for secondary labeling to assess cellular or tissue reactivity of VHH molecules. Despite not interfering with antigen binding, anti-VHH antibodies (Abs) potently blocked VHH-CAR-T activation and cytolytic killing of target cells. When immobilized, anti-VHH Abs induced strong activation and expansion of VHH CAR-T cells; with 730-fold mean expansion, >94% CAR purity, and retained CD8/CD4 heterogeneity. Functionally, anti-VHH antibody-expanded CAR-T cells maintained strong antigen-specific activity without functional exhaustion. Conclusions: Overall, these data identify useful anti-VHH mAbs that can be applied to better understand and manipulate VHH-based CAR-T cells or other VHH-based immunotherapies.

Indexed as

CAR labelingCAR-TChimeric Antigen ReceptorsNanobodiesVHH

Identifiers

PMID40989106
PMCPMC12451263

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.