Tumor cell surface entry receptors

Tumor cell surface entry receptors are a functional class of membrane proteins overexpressed on malignant cells that serve as portals for the internalization of therapeutic payloads (NIH, 2023). These receptors, which include growth factor receptors like HER2 and EGFR, nutrient transporters such as the Transferrin receptor, and cell adhesion molecules like Nectin-4, are exploited by modern oncology platforms such as antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and oncolytic viruses (MDPI, 2021). Upon binding their specific ligands or engineered targeting moieties, these receptors trigger endocytic pathways, allowing the drug or viral genome to bypass the plasma membrane barrier (ResearchGate, 2015). This mechanism is critical for the efficacy of intracellularly acting toxins and gene therapies, as it ensures high local concentrations of the active agent within the tumor while potentially minimizing systemic exposure (PubMed, 2022). However, the therapeutic index is often limited by the expression of these same receptors on healthy tissues, necessitating careful selection of targets with high tumor-to-normal tissue ratios (NIH, 2023).

Other names

Internalizing tumor receptorsCancer cell entry receptorsEndocytic receptorsTumor-associated internalizing antigensViral entry receptors (oncology)

These receptors facilitate the binding and subsequent internalization of therapeutic agents, such as antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) or oncolytic viruses, into the tumor cell via receptor-mediated endocytosis or membrane fusion (NIH, 2023; MDPI, 2021).