A Self‐Assembled Protein Platform for Plug‐and‐Play Customization of Multivalent Artificial Antibodies and Antibody‐Drug Conjugates

Abstract Modular assembly of multivalent therapeutics with precise modulation of pharmacokinetic and pharmacological properties remains a critical challenge in drug development. Here, we present ATPlug, a self‐assembling protein platform that integrates three crucial functional modules: a trimerization domain to enhance avidity, a SpyCatcher module for efficient conjugation, and an albumin‐binding domain to optimize pharmacokinetics and tissue selectivity. This rational design facilitates the modular assembly of multivalent artificial antibodies and antibody‐drug conjugates (ADCs), demonstrating remarkable versatility through the successful incorporation of diverse therapeutic modules targeting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD‐L1), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The trivalent constructs exhibited up to 30‐fold enhancement in target binding avidity and extended plasma half‐life via endogenous albumin hitchhiking. Notably, the ATPlug‐customized modular ADCs achieved binding affinities of 1.8 nM for EGFR and exhibited selective cytotoxicity toward EGFR‐overexpressing tumor cells, resulting in potent tumor suppression efficacy. This plug‐and‐play strategy provides a framework for next‐generation therapeutics combining customized multivalency with multidrug synergies.

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Publication Details

Journal
Angewandte Chemie
Published
2025-08-25
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/ange.202506426
Primary Topic
Monoclonal and Polyclonal Antibodies Research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

A Self‐Assembled Protein Platform for Plug‐and‐Play Customization of Multivalent Artificial Antibodies and Antibody‐Drug Conjugates

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Angewandte Chemie
Monoclonal and Polyclonal Antibodies Research
article

A Self‐Assembled Protein Platform for Plug‐and‐Play Customization of Multivalent Artificial Antibodies and Antibody‐Drug Conjugates

Yuzhe Chen, Yunchuan Huang, Lijun Wang, Yang Gao, Ze Tao, Shisheng Wang, Jing Li, Xiaofeng Lu, Youmei Jin, Tianshan She, Hao Yang, Jie Chen, Zhuo Chen, Jie Zhang, Li Zhao, Hongyu Lu, Xinyuan Wang, Wenjuan Zeng, Hong Zhu
article en

Abstract

Abstract Modular assembly of multivalent therapeutics with precise modulation of pharmacokinetic and pharmacological properties remains a critical challenge in drug development. Here, we present ATPlug, a self‐assembling protein platform that integrates three crucial functional modules: a trimerization domain to enhance avidity, a SpyCatcher module for efficient conjugation, and an albumin‐binding domain to optimize pharmacokinetics and tissue selectivity. This rational design facilitates the modular assembly of multivalent artificial antibodies and antibody‐drug conjugates (ADCs), demonstrating remarkable versatility through the successful incorporation of diverse therapeutic modules targeting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD‐L1), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The trivalent constructs exhibited up to 30‐fold enhancement in target binding avidity and extended plasma half‐life via endogenous albumin hitchhiking. Notably, the ATPlug‐customized modular ADCs achieved binding affinities of 1.8 nM for EGFR and exhibited selective cytotoxicity toward EGFR‐overexpressing tumor cells, resulting in potent tumor suppression efficacy. This plug‐and‐play strategy provides a framework for next‐generation therapeutics combining customized multivalency with multidrug synergies.

Angewandte Chemie
Sichuan University (CN), West China Hospital of Sichuan University (CN), Third People's Hospital of Chengdu (CN), Sichuan Cancer Hospital (CN), ZheJiang Institute For Food and Drug Control (CN), Southwest Jiaotong University (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, Natural Science Foundation of Sichuan Province
Openalex Percentile: Top 69%
Monoclonal and Polyclonal Antibodies Research
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