TAM family kinases as therapeutic targets at the interface of cancer and immunity

Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology, Published online: 04 September 2023; doi:10.1038/s41571-023-00813-7The TAM (TYRO3, AXL and MERTK) family receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) have diverse cancer-promoting functions in malignant cells as well as immune cells and other cell types in the tumour microenvironment, presenting an attractive opportunity for both direct and immune-mediated therapeutic activity manifest through inhibition of a single target. Accordingly, a variety of agents designed to selectively target TAM RTKs are entering clinical testing. This Review provides an essential guide to the TAM RTKs for clinicians. The authors comprehensively review the various roles of TAM RTKs in cancer, the evidence supporting their potential as therapeutic targets, and the translational development of TAM-targeted agents as cancer treatments.
Source: Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Source Type: research