Journal of nanobiotechnologyMar 26, 2026

A new nanobody-based T-cell engager targeting CLDN6 delivered by self-amplifying RNA shows strong anti-cancer effects

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Updated Mar 27, 2026

Abstract

The CLDN6-nanobody-based BiTE delivered by self-amplifying mRNA demonstrated effective tumor control in vivo.

CLDN6 is minimally expressed in normal tissues but frequently upregulated in ovarian cancer.
Bispecific T-cell engagers (BiTEs) can redirect T cells to target tumor cells.
CLDN6-nanobodies were developed to overcome challenges related to protein-based BiTEs.
The lipid nanoparticle formulation of CLDN6-nanobodies was stable and uniform.
In vitro, the CLDN6-nanobody-based BiTE showed antigen-dependent cytotoxicity and cytokine release.
In vivo administration led to T-cell recruitment and sustained tumor control without systemic toxicity.

Simplified

Ovarian cancer remains a highly lethal gynecologic malignancy with limited early detection and frequent relapse. Claudin-6 (CLDN6), minimally expressed in normal tissues but frequently upregulated in ovarian cancer, represents a promising tumor-specific target. Bispecific T-cell engagers (BiTEs) effectively redirect cytotoxic T cells toward tumor cells. However, previous studies have reported that protein-based BiTEs, particularly scFv-based constructs, may encounter challenges related to protein folding, aggregation, and in vivo stability. To address these limitations, CLDN6-nanobodies were developed through our screening platform, which display cross-species reactivity to human, murine and non-human primate CLDN6. Using this binder, we constructed CLDN6 nanobody-based BiTE (CLDN6-Nb-BiTE) encoded by self-amplifying mRNA (sa-mRNA) and delivered by lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), providing a functional alternative to protein administration. The LNP-sa-mRNA formulation was stable and uniform, enabling robust CLDN6-Nb-BiTE expression, antigen-dependent cytotoxicity, and cytokine release in vitro, while sustained CLDN6-Nb-BiTE production in vivo promoted T-cell recruitment and durable tumor control without systemic toxicity. Overall, our work introduces the first CLDN6-Nb-BiTE delivered by sa-mRNA, establishing a foundation for next-generation ovarian cancer immunotherapy.

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Competing interests

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Ethical approval was given by the West China Hospital of Sichuan University Laboratory Animal Ethics Committee. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

PubMed

A new nanobody-based T-cell engager targeting CLDN6 delivered by self-amplifying RNA shows strong anti-cancer effects

Abstract

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Competing interests

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Abstract

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