Ablynx

Ablynx NV was a Belgian biopharmaceutical company that specialized in nanobody therapeutics, a class of single-domain antibody fragments derived from camelid antibodies. The company was founded in 2002 and was based in Ghent, Belgium. Ablynx built a platform for discovery and development of nanobodies, encompassing screening, affinity maturation, engineering, and scalable manufacturing. Nanobodies offer advantages such as small size, high stability, and the potential for easy multi-specific formats.

The company pursued a diversified clinical and partnered portfolio across inflammatory diseases, hematology, respiratory diseases, and oncology, with several nanobody drug candidates positioned in various stages of development. Ablynx emphasized collaborations with pharmaceutical and biotech partners to advance its programs and leverage partner resources.

In 2018, AbbVie announced an agreement to acquire Ablynx, and the transaction was completed later that year, integrating Ablynx into AbbVie’s research and development organization. The acquisition highlighted AbbVie's interest in nanobody technology and expanded its pipeline with a camelid single-domain antibody platform. After the acquisition, Ablynx ceased independent operations as a standalone company and became part of AbbVie, with the nanobody platform continuing within the larger corporate structure.

Ablynx contributed to the broader field of nanobody therapeutics by validating the platform for drug discovery and applying nanobody technology to a range of diseases, helping to popularize camelid single-domain antibodies in industrial drug development.