Enzymatic Antibody Tagging: Toward a Universal Biocompatible Targeting Tool

Abstract

Targeted delivery or "smart delivery" of pharmaceutical or imaging agents and even entire cells such as stem cells is an emerging trend in modern biotechnology. A binding ligand such as an antibody that can specifically bind to receptors expressed at a disease site is an essential component of such constructs. Different chemical methods have been widely used to apply antibodies for delivery systems; however, they typically result in impairment or loss of antibody functionality. Enzyme-mediated conjugation approaches have been developed to overcome this major disadvantage of conventional chemical methods. Sortase, an enzyme derived from Staphylococcus aureus, is able to provide a biochemicall..