Radioligand Therapy Targets in Ovarian Cancer
We screened every cell-surface protein with tumor immunohistochemistry data in ovarian cancer (including high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma). 4,405 show detectable protein staining. Established and emerging radioligand targets expressed in ovarian cancer include EPCAM, STEAP2, HER3 (ERBB3) and c-MET (MET). Below, we rank every candidate by tumor expression, internalization and clinical maturity.
Established and emerging radioligand targets in ovarian cancer
Targets already pursued with radioligands or other targeted modalities that show protein expression in ovarian cancer:
| Target | IHC in ovarian cancer | % positive | Internalizes |
|---|---|---|---|
| EPCAM | High (0.92) | 100% | — |
| STEAP2 | High (0.82) | 100% | — |
| HER3 (ERBB3) | High (0.73) | 100% | yes |
| c-MET (MET) | High (0.72) | 100% | yes |
| Mesothelin (MSLN) | High (0.61) | 83% | yes |
| ITGAV | High (0.58) | 100% | — |
| B7-H3 (CD276) | High (0.53) | 100% | — |
| Nectin-4 (NECTIN4) | Medium (0.48) | 100% | no |
| FAP | Medium (0.47) | 60% | yes |
| Claudin 18.2 (CLDN18) | Medium (0.33) | 33% | uncertain |
| TMEFF2 | Medium (0.33) | 75% | — |
| ITGB6 | Medium (0.21) | 46% | — |
| HER2 (ERBB2) | Low (0.18) | 27% | yes |
| CEA (CEACAM5) | Low (0.17) | 30% | — |
| EGFR | Low (0.11) | 25% | yes |
| SSTR2 | Low (0.08) | 25% | yes |
| TROP2 (TACSTD2) | Low (0.06) | 8% | uncertain |
| DLK1 | Low (0.03) | 9% | — |
Top cell-surface targets for ovarian 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 ovarian cancer | % positive | Internalizes | Clinical stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IGF1R insulin like growth factor 1 receptor | High (0.89) | 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 (1.00) | 100% | yes | Discovery |
| 4 | S1PR1 sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1 | High (0.61) | 100% | yes | Clinical |
| 5 | GPR139 G protein-coupled receptor 139 | High (0.97) | 100% | yes | Discovery |
| 6 | IRAK4 interleukin 1 receptor associated kinase 4 | High (0.81) | 100% | yes | Clinical |
| 7 | NOTCH1 notch receptor 1 | High (0.75) | 100% | yes | Clinical |
| 8 | MUC16 mucin 16, cell surface associated | High (1.00) | 100% | — | Clinical |
| 9 | HER3 (ERBB3) erb-b2 receptor tyrosine kinase 3 | High (0.73) | 100% | yes | Clinical |
| 10 | HRH4 histamine receptor H4 | High (0.75) | 100% | yes | Clinical |
| 11 | CYSLTR2 cysteinyl leukotriene receptor 2 | High (0.75) | 92% | yes | Discovery |
| 12 | PTPN13 protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 13 | High (0.83) | 100% | yes | Discovery |
| 13 | CHRNA7 cholinergic receptor nicotinic alpha 7 subunit | High (0.67) | 100% | yes | Clinical |
| 14 | Mesothelin (MSLN) mesothelin | High (0.61) | 83% | yes | Clinical |
| 15 | NR3C2 nuclear receptor subfamily 3 group C member 2 | High (0.80) | 100% | uncertain | Clinical |
| 16 | MST1R macrophage stimulating 1 receptor | High (0.64) | 100% | yes | Clinical |
| 17 | FZD6 frizzled class receptor 6 | High (0.83) | 100% | yes | Discovery |
| 18 | LSR lipolysis stimulated lipoprotein receptor | High (0.83) | 100% | yes | Discovery |
| 19 | FGFR1 fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 | High (0.61) | 100% | yes | Clinical |
| 20 | TRPV2 transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 2 | High (0.91) | 100% | uncertain | Discovery |
| 21 | KCNG1 potassium voltage-gated channel modifier subfamily G member 1 | High (0.89) | 100% | — | Clinical |
| 22 | NOTCH2 notch receptor 2 | High (0.58) | 100% | yes | Clinical |
| 23 | SCTR secretin receptor | High (0.91) | 100% | uncertain | Discovery |
| 24 | VIPR1 vasoactive intestinal peptide receptor 1 | High (0.58) | 100% | yes | Discovery |
| 25 | PTGS1 prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 1 | High (0.83) | 100% | — | Clinical |
Internalizing receptors in ovarian cancer
Targets expressed in ovarian 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:
IGF1R · c-MET (MET) · AMFR · S1PR1 · GPR139 · IRAK4 · NOTCH1 · HER3 (ERBB3) · HRH4 · CYSLTR2 · PTPN13 · CHRNA7
Ovarian Cancer targets already in clinical development
Targets with a clinical-stage drug program (any modality) that are also expressed in ovarian cancer. Clinical precedent lowers development risk but usually means more competition:
IGF1R · c-MET (MET) · S1PR1 · IRAK4 · NOTCH1 · MUC16 · HER3 (ERBB3) · HRH4 · CHRNA7 · Mesothelin (MSLN) · NR3C2 · MST1R
How these ovarian 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 ovarian 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 ovarian cancer targets against your own criteria: isotope, organ limits, novelty.
Run a free ovarian cancer analysisRadioligand therapy targets in other cancers
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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.