Radioligand Therapy Targets in Kidney Cancer
We screened every cell-surface protein with tumor immunohistochemistry data in kidney cancer (including clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC)). 3,966 show detectable protein staining. Established and emerging radioligand targets expressed in kidney cancer include EGFR, HER3 (ERBB3), c-MET (MET) and ITGAV. Below, we rank every candidate by tumor expression, internalization and clinical maturity.
Established and emerging radioligand targets in kidney cancer
Targets already pursued with radioligands or other targeted modalities that show protein expression in kidney cancer:
| Target | IHC in kidney cancer | % positive | Internalizes |
|---|---|---|---|
| EGFR | High (0.85) | 100% | yes |
| HER3 (ERBB3) | High (0.72) | 100% | yes |
| c-MET (MET) | High (0.72) | 100% | yes |
| ITGAV | High (0.61) | 92% | — |
| STEAP2 | High (0.58) | 100% | — |
| CAIX (CA9) | Medium (0.31) | 50% | no |
| B7-H3 (CD276) | Low (0.17) | 50% | — |
| Mesothelin (MSLN) | Low (0.15) | 18% | yes |
| Nectin-4 (NECTIN4) | Low (0.11) | 33% | no |
| TMEFF2 | Low (0.11) | 25% | — |
| SSTR2 | Low (0.06) | 18% | yes |
| HER2 (ERBB2) | Low (0.06) | 17% | yes |
| FAP | Low (0.03) | 9% | yes |
| EPCAM | Low (0.03) | 8% | — |
| ITGB6 | Low (0.03) | 8% | — |
Top cell-surface targets for kidney cancer radioligand therapy
A data-driven screen of every protein annotated as cell-surface. It deliberately surfaces novel, unvalidated candidates, so confirm localization and expression before prioritizing any of them.
| # | Target | IHC in kidney cancer | % positive | Internalizes | Clinical stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | EGFR epidermal growth factor receptor | High (0.85) | 100% | yes | Clinical |
| 2 | c-MET (MET) MET proto-oncogene, receptor tyrosine kinase | High (0.72) | 100% | yes | Clinical |
| 3 | AMFR autocrine motility factor receptor | High (0.94) | 100% | yes | Discovery |
| 4 | HER3 (ERBB3) erb-b2 receptor tyrosine kinase 3 | High (0.72) | 100% | yes | Clinical |
| 5 | GPR139 G protein-coupled receptor 139 | High (0.91) | 100% | yes | Discovery |
| 6 | MAOB monoamine oxidase B | High (1.00) | 100% | — | Clinical |
| 7 | IGF1R insulin like growth factor 1 receptor | High (0.69) | 100% | yes | Clinical |
| 8 | M6PR mannose-6-phosphate receptor, cation dependent | High (0.89) | 100% | yes | Discovery |
| 9 | AGTRAP angiotensin II receptor associated protein | High (0.83) | 100% | yes | Discovery |
| 10 | SMOX spermine oxidase | High (0.97) | 100% | uncertain | Discovery |
| 11 | S1PR1 sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1 | High (0.53) | 83% | yes | Clinical |
| 12 | TREM1 triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1 | High (0.81) | 100% | uncertain | Clinical |
| 13 | GABRE gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor subunit epsilon | High (0.94) | 100% | uncertain | Clinical |
| 14 | PTPN22 protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 22 | High (0.76) | 100% | yes | Discovery |
| 15 | NR3C2 nuclear receptor subfamily 3 group C member 2 | High (0.72) | 100% | uncertain | Clinical |
| 16 | RNF43 ring finger protein 43 | High (0.97) | 100% | — | Discovery |
| 17 | TLR3 toll like receptor 3 | High (0.69) | 100% | uncertain | Clinical |
| 18 | CYSLTR2 cysteinyl leukotriene receptor 2 | High (0.58) | 92% | yes | Discovery |
| 19 | NOTCH1 notch receptor 1 | High (0.53) | 100% | yes | Clinical |
| 20 | IL1R2 interleukin 1 receptor type 2 | High (0.56) | 92% | yes | Discovery |
| 21 | FZD3 frizzled class receptor 3 | High (0.69) | 100% | yes | Discovery |
| 22 | FZD6 frizzled class receptor 6 | High (0.70) | 100% | yes | Discovery |
| 23 | CCND1 cyclin D1 | High (0.97) | 100% | — | Clinical |
| 24 | CCRL2 C-C motif chemokine receptor like 2 | High (0.56) | 92% | yes | Discovery |
| 25 | VIM vimentin | High (1.00) | 100% | — | Clinical |
Internalizing receptors in kidney cancer
Targets expressed in kidney cancer that the literature reports internalize after ligand binding. Internalization traps the radionuclide inside the tumor cell, which matters most for β-emitters like 177Lu and for α-emitters like 225Ac:
EGFR · c-MET (MET) · AMFR · HER3 (ERBB3) · GPR139 · IGF1R · M6PR · AGTRAP · S1PR1 · PTPN22 · CYSLTR2 · NOTCH1
Kidney Cancer targets already in clinical development
Targets with a clinical-stage drug program (any modality) that are also expressed in kidney cancer. Clinical precedent lowers development risk but usually means more competition:
EGFR · c-MET (MET) · HER3 (ERBB3) · MAOB · IGF1R · S1PR1 · TREM1 · GABRE · NR3C2 · TLR3 · NOTCH1 · CCND1
How these kidney cancer targets are ranked
Candidates are limited to proteins annotated as cell-surface (UniProt via Open Targets), because a radioligand has to reach its target from circulation. They are ranked by Nuclens' radiopharmaceutical pre-screen: immunohistochemistry staining and patient-sample positivity in kidney cancer, literature evidence of internalization and shedding, clinical maturity, and cancer association. It is a first-pass triage, not a substitute for wet-lab validation or dosimetry. For the full framework, see what makes a good radioligand therapy target and emerging radioligand targets beyond PSMA.
Rank kidney cancer targets against your own criteria: isotope, organ limits, novelty.
Run a free kidney cancer analysisRadioligand therapy targets in other cancers
- Prostate Cancer
- Neuroendocrine Tumors
- Lung Cancer
- Pancreatic Cancer
- Breast Cancer
- Ovarian Cancer
- Colorectal Cancer
- Bladder Cancer
- Gastric Cancer
- Liver Cancer
- Glioma
- Melanoma
- Head and Neck Cancer
- Thyroid Cancer
- Lymphoma
- Cervical Cancer
- Endometrial Cancer
- Skin Cancer
- Testicular Cancer
Data sources
Subcellular localization: UniProt via Open Targets (CC BY 4.0 / CC0). Tumor immunohistochemistry: Human Protein Atlas (CC BY-SA 4.0). Clinical trials: ClinicalTrials.gov (public domain). Gene essentiality: DepMap (CC BY 4.0). Internalization and shedding: AI-extracted from PubMed abstracts, so verify against the cited papers before relying on them. Nuclens is a first-pass triage layer, not a substitute for wet-lab validation or clinical dosimetry. Derived expression data on this page is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.