Domestic researchers developed a nanobody technology that selectively attacks cancer cells, reducing side effects and increasing treatment efficacy. This method uses ultra-small antibodies that attach to the surface of cancer cells to deliver drugs precisely.
The Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB) announced on the 13th that Dr. Jeong Joo-yeon and her research team from the Bio-Nano Research Center developed an ultra-small nanobody that selectively attacks lung cancer cells. The research results were published in the international journal 'Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy' on the 10th of last month.
The research team explained that the nanobody can minimize the side effects of existing cancer treatments while maximizing the effectiveness of cancer cell death. It is particularly expected to become an effective treatment method for adenocarcinoma, which accounts for more than half of lung cancer patients.
Adenocarcinoma is a cancer that is difficult to diagnose early and has a high recurrence rate, making treatment challenging. Existing cancer drugs attack both cancer cells and normal cells indiscriminately, leading to severe side effects such as hair loss, vomiting, and immune suppression, and often fail to accurately reach cancer cells, resulting in reduced effectiveness.
To address these limitations, the research team developed an ultra-small antibody called 'A5 nanobody' that specifically binds to a protein called 'CD155,' which is frequently found in adenocarcinoma cells. Being one-tenth the size of regular antibodies, it can penetrate deep into the body and has little effect on normal cells. It selectively attacks cancer cells with a high presence of CD155 and has been shown to suppress cancer cell movement and invasion by over half.
The nanobody also delivers drugs. The research team developed 'A5-LNP-DOX,' a drug capsule (liposome) containing the cancer drug doxorubicin (DOX), combined with the A5 nanobody. This method delivers the cancer drug precisely to the target CD155 present on the surface of cancer cells.
In experiments using animal testing and organoids made from patient cells, tumor size was reduced by 70-90%, and indicators of cell death significantly increased. Organoids are mini-organs created by three-dimensionally culturing patient organ cells. No damage to major organs such as the liver, heart, and kidneys was observed.
Dr. Jeong noted, "This is a new therapeutic strategy that can accurately locate cancer cells and efficiently deliver drugs. It is expected to contribute to the advancement of precision medicine and can be applied not only to lung cancer but also to various types of cancer."
References
Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy (2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41392-025-02301-z