Nanobodies in Asthma Therapy: a Promising Frontier in Targeted Respiratory Treatment

Asthma is a chronic respiratory disorder characterized by persistent inflammation and excessive mucus production, leading to airway obstruction and impaired respiratory function. Despite the availability of various therapeutic options, current treatments often fall short in providing optimal disease control, highlighting the need for novel and more effective approaches. Nanobodies, sub-micron-sized single-domain antibody fragments, have emerged as promising therapeutic agents owing to their unique structural and functional characteristics. Their small size facilitates deep penetration into the lung epithelium, enhancing drug delivery to the targeted airway tissues. This review provides a comprehensive overview of current asthma therapies and their limitations, emphasizing the potential of nanobodies as innovative therapeutic tools. It also explores various production strategies for nanobodies, including expression in bacterial periplasm, cytoplasm, and via recombinant protein technology. Additionally, the review discusses nanobody-mediated drug delivery mechanisms in asthma, addresses safety considerations, and outlines future perspectives, as well as methods for nanobody characterization and optimization.