Increases the proportion and titer of single-domain antibodies.
Service
Custom VHH Discovery & Development
VHH antibodies- also known as single-domain antibodies (sdAbs) or VHHs (variable heavy-chain domain of a camelid heavy-chain–only antibody) - are a unique type of antibody derived from camelid species like alpacas and llamas. Unlike conventional antibodies with two heavy and two light chains, VHH antibodies consist of a single variable domain, making them much smaller (~15 kDa) yet still highly specific and stable. Their compact size allows VHH antibodies to bind hard-to-reach targets, penetrate tissues more easily, and remain stable under harsh conditions—making them ideal for drug discovery, diagnostics, and imaging. At AlpVHHs, we offer full-service VHH discovery and engineering, supporting your compound pipeline from antigen design to humanization and affinity maturation.
VHH Antibodies Development Workflow
1
Antigen Design & Preparation
Lead time: 2-8 weeks
2
Camelid Immunization &PBMC Collection
Lead time: 7 weeks
3
Library Construction
Lead time: 4 weeks
4
Library Screening
Lead time: 4 weeks
5
Sequence Analysis & Clone Validation
>3 weeks
Why Choose Us for Your VHH Antibodies Project?
1. Standing Out Camelid Immunization Approach
We go beyond standard immunization by offering high-quality animals, optimized antigens, proprietary adjuvants, and validated tools to ensure reliable and reproducible VHH antibodies generation.
Animal Immunization and Blood Collection
(a) Alpaca immunization procedure.
(b) Blood collection from alpaca.
(c) 49-day immunization timeline.
Black arrows indicate injection days (Days 0, 14, 28, 42), and droplet icons represent blood collection (Days 0, 21, 35, 49). Day 0 serum is used as a negative control, while samples collected after immunization are used to measure immune response by titer testing.
2. Guaranteed Zero Background
All animals used for immunization are confirmed to have no prior exposure to the target antigen, ensuring clean immune responses and unbiased antibody generation.
Our dedicated 40-acre farm houses high-quality alpacas and llamas imported from South America. With expert breeding and veterinary care, we ensure optimal animal health and project confidentiality.
3. Proprietary Camelid Immune Adjuvant
Our camelid-specific adjuvant enhances strong immune responses, boosts HcAb titer, and preserves antigen conformation — all while minimizing toxicity.
Enhanced Antibody Production:
Increases the proportion and titer of single-domain antibodies.
Robust Immune Response:
Elicits a strong cellular and humoral immune response.
Water-Soluble Formula:
Does not require emulsification and preserves antigen conformation.
Low Toxicity:
Suitable for various administration routes, including subcutaneous, intramuscular, and intraperitoneal injections.
Serum titers following alpaca immunization with a camelid immune adjuvant and antigen mixture. The left panel shows total IgG titers after four immunizations; the right panel shows VHH titers. The X-axis represents serum dilution, and the Y-axis indicates OD values measured by ELISA.
4. Proprietary Serum Titer Detection Antibody
Specifically designed for direct detection of diverse VHH conformations without cross-reactivity.
High affinity for different VHH
Our AlpHcAb detection antibody demonstrates high affinity across diverse VHH sequences.
Specificity for different IgG
It shows strong specificity for VHHs without binding other alpaca or cross-species IgGs.
5. High Quality VHH Discovery Platforms: Phage or Yeast Display
a) Proprietary optimized primers effectively increase PCR amplification yield and enhance the diversity of VHH clones.
b) Guaranteed large library size.
c) Fast process and ease of development.
d) Absolutely background free cloning system.
| Phage Display | VS | Yeast surface Display |
| Prokaryotic | System | Eukaryotic |
| One copy | Display level | 10^4~10^5 Copies |
| 10% | Display percent | 65%~80% |
| VHH, ScFv, peptide, Fab etc. | Antibody Format | VHH, ScFv, peptide, Fab, lgG etc. |
| Limited/biased | Display diversified | Excellent |
| High | False positive | Low |
| Solid / liquid phase | Panning | MACS & FACS |
| Protein, cell etc. | Panning antigen format | Protein |
| <1000(sanger) | Throughput | >10,0000(NGS) |
Choose between two high-performance systems for nanobody discovery After immunization, VHH libraries are constructed and screened using either phage display or yeast surface display — we’ll help you choose the best fit based on your project needs.
6. Extensive VHH Development Experience
Hot target VHH antibodies successful developed by two following systems and delivered to the clients.
| Phage Display Platform | |
| Multi-pass transmembrane targets | CD20, CCR1, CCR8, CXCR3, GPCR5D, TSHR, CLDN18.2, CLDN4 |
| Tumor-Associated Antigens | CD28, BCMA, CD20, CD19, PSMA, CAIX, CD33, CD24, CD38, CD70, CLL-1, EpCAM, GUCY2C, Nectin-4 |
| Yeast Surface Display Platform | |
| BBB Shuttling Platform | IGF-1R, TFR1 |
| ADC Targets | MSLN, Trop2, DLL3, GPC3, FOLR1, B7H3 |
| Ophthalmology Targets | ANG2, FZD4, LRP5, VEGF-A |
| Metabolic Disease Targets | ActRIIA, ActRIIB, C5, GDF5, MSTN |
| Immune Checkpoints | B7H7, CTLA-4, LAG-3, PD-1, PD-L1, BAFF-R, TIGIT |
| Autoimmune Disease Targets | TSLP, IL-33, IL-13, IL-17A, IL-23p19, IL-25, IL-4, IL-6 |
