[Preparation of anti EGFR scFv::FTH1/FTH1 nanoparticles for asthma treatment]

Asthma is a common respiratory disease that affects 300 million of people worldwide, posing a serious health risk and medical burden. Development of new anti-asthmatic drugs and alternative treatment regimens is therefore encouraged. Recent studies have shown that Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) is involved in asthma development. In order to construct nanoparticles targeting EGFR for asthma treatment, a single chain antibody fragment (scFv) against EGFR was genetically engineered and modified at the N-terminal end of the human ferritin H-chain (FTH1) to construct Anti EGFR scFv::FTH1/FTH1 nanoparticles. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the nanoparticles were self-assembled into hollow cage-like structures with the particle size of about 12 nm. Semi-quantitative analysis of the purified nanoparticles by SDS-PAGE revealed the mass ratio of FTH1 to Anti EGFR scFv::FTH1 was 7:3. In House Dust Mite (HDM) driven models, Anti EGFR scFv::FTH1/FTH1 nanoparticles efficiently attenuated several key features of asthma, including goblet cell hyperplasia, mucous metaplasia and subepithelial fibrosis, showing the potential of using ferritin based nanoparticle for asthma treatment.