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Updated: Feb 10, 2026

Preparation, Administration, and Assessment of In Vivo Tissue-Specific Cellular Uptake of Fluorescent Dye-Labeled Liposomes
Published on: July 30, 2020
Brain uptake of multivalent and multi-specific DVD-Ig proteins after systemic administration
Denise Karaoglu Hanzatian1, Annette Schwartz2, Farid Gizatullin1
1a AbbVie Bioresearch Center , 381 Plantation St., Worcester , MA.
Dual-variable-domain immunoglobulin (DVD-Ig) proteins enhance brain uptake by utilizing the transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1) pathway. This novel approach improves delivery of therapeutics across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) for central nervous system (CNS) applications.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biotechnology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- The blood-brain barrier (BBB) restricts the entry of therapeutic antibodies into the central nervous system (CNS).
- Receptor-mediated transcytosis (RMT) offers a natural pathway for delivering therapeutics across the BBB.
- Existing antibody formats lack optimal bivalent binding for efficient RMT.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and characterize dual-variable-domain immunoglobulin (DVD-Ig) proteins for enhanced CNS drug delivery.
- To evaluate the ability of DVD-Igs to cross the BBB via transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1) mediated transcytosis.
- To assess the brain uptake and biodistribution of DVD-Igs targeting various CNS diseases.
Main Methods:
- Generation and engineering of DVD-Ig proteins with specific binding to CNS targets and TfR1.
- Systemic administration of DVD-Igs in preclinical models.
- Quantification of brain uptake using electrochemiluminescence and immunohistochemistry.
Main Results:
- All generated TfR1 DVD-Ig proteins demonstrated successful BBB penetration.
- Enhanced brain uptake and retention were observed for all tested DVD-Ig constructs.
- DVD-Ig format allows independent optimization of binding affinity, valency, and other drug-like properties.
Conclusions:
- DVD-Igs represent a promising platform for efficient antibody delivery across the BBB.
- TfR1-mediated transcytosis is a viable strategy for enhancing CNS penetration of therapeutics.
- DVD-Ig technology offers a versatile approach for developing novel CNS-penetrant biologics.
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