IgG antibodies are some of the most important biopharmaceutical molecules with a high market volume. In spite of the fact that clinical therapies with antibodies are broadly utilized in oncology, immunology and hematology, their delivery strategies and biodistribution need improvement, their limitations being due to their size and poor ability to penetrate into tissues. In view of their small size, there is a rising interest in derivatives, such as single-domain antibodies and single-chain variable fragments, for clinical diagnostic but also therapeutic applications. Smaller antibody formats combine several benefits for clinical applications and can be manufactured at reduced production costs compared with full-length IgGs. Moreover, such formats have a relevant potential for targeted drug delivery that directs drug cargo to a specific tissue or across the blood-brain barrier. In this review, we give an overview of the challenges for antibody drug delivery in general and focus on intranasal delivery to the central nervous system with antibody formats of different sizes.
Keywords: Fc receptor; VHH; VNAR; intranasal delivery; mucosal transport; scaffolds.