PD-L1 Target

PD-L1 is a protein displayed on the surface of tumour cells and some immune cells. It binds PD-1 on T cells and delivers a stop signal that damps their activation. That brake normally keeps the immune system from attacking healthy tissue; tumours exploit it to avoid being killed. PD-L1 also binds a second protein, CD80, mostly on its own cell surface, though contacts between cells have been reported too. The PD-1/PD-L1 axis is the largest franchise in cancer medicine. Four PD-L1-blocking antibodies are FDA-approved — atezolizumab, durvalumab, avelumab and cosibelimab, the last in December 2024 for an advanced skin cancer — with further agents approved in China. PD-L1 is at once the field's most-used companion test and its least reliable one: staining results disagree across antibody reagents, cutoffs and sample types, and roughly 10 percent of patients scored PD-L1-negative still respond to single-agent treatment. Worth keeping straight: PD-L1 is the signal and PD-1 the receiver, so pembrolizumab and nivolumab are not PD-L1 drugs, and PD-L2 is a separate gene.

PD-L1

Description

Proteins targeting PD-L1 (392)

Proteins targeting PD-L1 (…)

Proteins targeting PD-L1 (392)