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Ho - 2026

Mentor: Mitchell Ho, Ph.D. | homi@mail.nih.gov
Lab
Antibody Engineering Program (AEP), CCR, NCI

Use of Phage Display Technology for Nanobody Discovery

The NCI CCR Antibody Engineering Program (AEP) is dedicated to the discovery and engineering of single-domain antibodies, also known as nanobodies, derived from sharks and camels, in collaboration with intramural laboratories at the NCI and other institutes. These nanobodies are developed against cancer, neurological, immunological, infectious, and other disease targets for a wide range of basic and translational research applications. These applications include protein structure studies, super-resolution microscopy imaging, monospecific and multispecific binders, engineered immune cells, radiopharmaceuticals, in vivo tumor imaging agents, and many other rapidly advancing areas in biology, engineering, and medicine.

Examples of possible summer projects include:

  • Isolation of nanobodies using phage display technology for the treatment, imaging, and diagnosis of cancer, neurological disorders, infectious diseases, and other human diseases.
  • Engineering nanobodies using AI/machine learning and wet-lab directed evolution approaches to optimize binding affinity, protein expression, and other biophysical and biochemical properties.
  • Molecular and cellular characterization of nanobodies in relevant disease cell and animal models, including high-resolution microscopic imaging.
  • Construction of clinically relevant therapeutics and imaging agents using nanobodies, such as CAR T cells, protein degraders, immunotoxins, and radioconjugates.