Custom VHH Production Services

For VHH discovery using our naïve LiAb-VHHMAX™ library, the full discovery and screening workflow typically takes 2–3 weeks, including antigen QC, biopanning rounds, ELISA screening of 96 clones, sequencing, and the identification of at least 3 and up to 10 unique binders.

When developing a custom immune VHH library, the process requires 7–8 weeks for immunization, followed by approximately 1 week for PBMC isolation and cDNA preparation, 1–2 weeks for library construction, and 1–2 additional weeks for library QC, resulting in a total timeline of 10–13 weeks.

As an option, we also offer recombinant antibody production services, which can begin at 15 business days, depending on scale and expression system.

ProteoGenix offers a complete phage display–based VHH discovery platform built around two complementary approaches. Our naïve LiAb-VHHMAX™ library, generated from 57 alpacas, llamas, and camels, provides an exceptional 1.51 × 10¹⁰ diversity, making it ideal when antigen quantity is limited or when targeting cryptic, weakly immunogenic, structurally challenging epitopes or toxic antigens. For projects requiring higher natural affinity and in vivo–matured binders, we also develop custom immune VHH libraries from alpaca, camel, or llama, compatible with a broad range of antigen formats, including proteins, peptides, haptens, and whole cells.

This dual approach ensures flexibility, robustness, and high success rates across diverse discovery challenges.

Yes. ProteoGenix offers custom antibody services, including a comprehensive suite of optional VHH engineering services to optimize VHH candidates for therapeutic, diagnostic, or research applications. These capabilities include affinity maturation services, VHH humanization service, and the design of multivalent or Fc-fusion constructs. We also offer bispecific antibody development services and antibody–drug conjugation services. Combined with our phage display discovery services, these engineering options allow us to tailor each VHH to the required potency, stability, and functional performance.

Yes. At ProteoGenix, we help optimize VHH and antibody sequences for therapeutic and clinical applications through VHH humanization, affinity maturation, and advanced engineering. Our services include bispecific antibodies and antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs), and extend to comprehensive antibody developability assesment services. Using our proprietary AI technology and 25 years of antibody expertise, we assess and enhance critical developability parameters such as stability, solubility, aggregation propensity, immunogenicity, manufacturability, and thermal stability, ensuring that candidates are suitable for preclinical stages.

Yes. ProteoGenix’s VHH discovery and engineering platform delivers VHHs optimized for therapeutic, diagnostic, and research applications. In therapeutics, VHHs offer excellent tissue penetration, high stability, and precise target specificity, making them ideal for antagonists, targeted therapies, bispecific antibodies, and even antibody drug conjugates. In diagnostics and imaging, their low immunogenicity, rapid tissue penetration, and fast blood clearance result in a high signal-to-noise ratio, while their small size allows access to hidden epitopes. For research applications, VHHs are highly stable, easy to express in bacteria or yeast, and well-suited for biosensing or capture reagents.

Additionally, for therapeutic-grade material, we can provide endotoxin removal to <1 EU/mL and a range of quality control assays including HPLC, SEC, SPR, and BLI to ensure optimal performance and purity.

ProteoGenix provides several options to validate VHH binders at the molecular and biophysical level. Our services include ELISA-based binder validation, sequence analysis, and optional affinity measurement using BLI. We also offer epitope mapping powered by artificial intelligence (AI), allowing precise identification of binding regions and facilitating the design of bispecific constructs.

Additionally, we can perform inhibition assays, such as Luciferase or β-Galactosidase protein synthesis inhibition tests, where the impact of a candidate protein on reporter expression is quantified across different concentrations.

ProteoGenix can produce VHHs in microbial expression systems such as E. coli or yeast, as well as mammalian cells, enabling easy and cost-effective scaling from small quantities—including high-throughput screening—to preclinical quantities up to grams. We also offer transient production as well as stable cell line or cell pool–based production, which supports larger-scale batches and advanced options such as low-endotoxin material and verification of monoclonality using VIPs. Purification can be tailored to your needs, including His-tag purification and size-exclusion chromatography (SEC).

For projects targeting therapeutic applications, our therapeutic antibody discovery services support you from antigen design to large scale production for preclinical development.