Recent advances of affibody molecules in biomedical applications

Affibody molecules are 58-amino-acid peptides with a molecular weight of about 6.5 kDa, derived from the Z domain of Staphylococcal Protein A. Since they have been used as substitutes for antibodies in biomedicine, several therapeutic affibody molecules have been developed for clinical use. Additionally, affibody molecules have been designed for a range of different applications. This review focuses on the progress made in the last five years in the field of affibody molecules and their potential uses in medical imaging, especially in oncology and cancer treatment. It covers areas such as molecular imaging, targeted delivery of toxic drugs, and their use in combination with nanoparticles. We also highlight some current biomedical applications where affibody molecules are commonly used as a "guide." Due to their many advantages, affibody molecules offer significant potential for applications in both biochemical and medical fields.