{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,24]],"date-time":"2026-06-24T03:31:12Z","timestamp":1782271872712,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":51,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"17","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,9,1]],"date-time":"2020-09-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1598918400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"The Chungcheongbuk-do Value Creation Program","award":["no grant number issued"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["no grant number issued"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>YKL-40, also known as chitinase-3-like 1 (CHI3L1), is a glycoprotein that is expressed and secreted by various cell types, including cancers and macrophages. Due to its implications for and upregulation in a variety of diseases, including inflammatory conditions, fibrotic disorders, and tumor growth, YKL-40 has been considered as a significant therapeutic biomarker. Here, we used a phage display to develop novel monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting human YKL-40 (hYKL-40). Human synthetic antibody phage display libraries were panned against a recombinant hYKL-40 protein, yielding seven unique Fabs (Antigen-binding fragment), of which two Fabs (H1 and H2) were non-aggregating and thermally stable (75.5 \u00b0C and 76.5 \u00b0C, respectively) and had high apparent affinities (KD = 2.3 nM and 4.0 nM, respectively). Reformatting the Fabs into IgGs (Immunoglobulin Gs) increased their apparent affinities (notably, for H1 and H2, KD = 0.5 nM and 0.3 nM, respectively), presumably due to the effects of avidity, with little change to their non-aggregation property. The six anti-hYKL-40 IgGs were analyzed using a trans-well migration assay in vitro, revealing that three clones (H1, H2, and H4) were notably effective in reducing cell migration from both A549 and H460 lung cancer cell lines. The three clones were further analyzed in an in vivo animal test that assessed their anti-cancer activities, demonstrating that the tumor area and the number of tumor nodules were significantly reduced in the lung tissues treated with H1 (IgG). Given its high affinity and desirable properties, we expect that the H1 anti-hYKL-40 mAb will be a suitable candidate for developing anti-cancer therapeutics.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms21176354","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,9,1]],"date-time":"2020-09-01T14:21:10Z","timestamp":1598970070000},"page":"6354","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":19,"title":["Selection and Characterization of YKL-40-Targeting Monoclonal Antibodies from Human Synthetic Fab Phage Display Libraries"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"21","author":[{"given":"Kyungjae","family":"Kang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"New Drug Development Center, Osong Medical Innovation Foundation, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do 28160, Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kicheon","family":"Kim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Pharmacy, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do 28160, Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4894-9373","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Se-Ra","family":"Lee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"New Drug Development Center, Osong Medical Innovation Foundation, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do 28160, Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yoonji","family":"Kim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"New Drug Development Center, Osong Medical Innovation Foundation, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do 28160, Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Joo Eon","family":"Lee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"New Drug Development Center, Osong Medical Innovation Foundation, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do 28160, Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yong Sun","family":"Lee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Pharmacy, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do 28160, Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ju-Hyeon","family":"Lim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"New Drug Development Center, Osong Medical Innovation Foundation, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do 28160, Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chung-Su","family":"Lim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"New Drug Development Center, Osong Medical Innovation Foundation, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do 28160, Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yu Jung","family":"Kim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"New Drug Development Center, Osong Medical Innovation Foundation, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do 28160, Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Seung Il","family":"Baek","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"New Drug Development Center, Osong Medical Innovation Foundation, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do 28160, Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Du Hyun","family":"Song","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"New Drug Development Center, Osong Medical Innovation Foundation, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do 28160, Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6534-9575","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jin Tae","family":"Hong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Pharmacy, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do 28160, Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8156-7532","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dae Young","family":"Kim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"New Drug Development Center, Osong Medical Innovation Foundation, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do 28160, Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,9,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"107394","DOI":"10.1016\/j.pharmthera.2019.107394","article-title":"Roles of chitinase 3-like 1 in the development of cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and inflammatory diseases","volume":"203","author":"Yeo","year":"2019","journal-title":"Pharmacol. 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