The present invention relates to
antigen binding molecules that specifically bind cellular bound
fibroblast activation
protein (cFAP). The
antigen biding molecules significantly discriminate between cFAP and one or more soluble variants of
fibroblast activation
protein (FAP), including the one or more soluble variants of FAP known to be present in body fluids such as blood,
plasma and serum. The
antigen binding molecules comprise one or more antibodies and / or one or more
antibody antigen binding domains or fragments, and, in particular, include one or more
camelid single
antigen binding domains, i.e. one or more VHH sequences. The present invention further relates to
nucleic acid molecules encoding the
antigen binding molecules or a component domain thereof, as well as vectors comprising said
nucleic acid molecules. The invention also relates to a host
cell comprising the vector(s) of the invention, as well as to methods for the production of an antigen binding molecule of the invention comprising culturing the host
cell of the invention under suitable conditions and isolating the antigen binding molecule produced. Furthermore, the present invention relates to an antigen biding molecule obtainable by the method of the invention, to a composition comprising at least one of an antigen binding molecule of the invention, the
nucleic acid molecule of the invention, the vector of the invention, the host
cell of the invention or the antigen binding molecule produced by the method of the invention. The present invention also relates to the use of an antigen binding molecule of the invention for detecting and targeting cFAP
in vivo or
in vitro, in particular selectively over one or more soluble variants of FAP, for use as a therapeutic in the treatment of diseases characterized by cFAP or as a
diagnostic agent.