OnCo
targetsTarget

CD79b

Part of the B-cell receptor found on nearly all B-cell lymphomas; the target of the ADC polatuzumab vedotin and a frequently mutated gene in brain and testicular lymphoma.

CD79b (Igβ) pairs with CD79a to form the signalling subunit of the B-cell receptor. It is expressed on >95% of B-cell lymphomas and rapidly internalises, making it an ideal ADC target: polatuzumab vedotin (approved 2019; POLARIX first line 2023) is the only approved agent. CD79B Y196 mutations drive chronic active BCR signalling in ABC-DLBCL (MCD/C5 cluster), PCNSL and testicular lymphoma, and predict BTK-inhibitor sensitivity. CD79b CAR-T and bispecifics are in trials.

CD79b: what it is and how drugs act on it · animated generic schematic, not to scale
  • Target · the protein and the cell it sits on
  • Drug · antibody, small molecule, cell or radioligand
  • Effect · signal, damage or kill

In plain words · Part of the B-cell receptor found on nearly all B-cell lymphomas; the target of the ADC polatuzumab vedotin and a frequently mutated gene in brain and testicular lymphoma.

  1. 1 · What it is

    Part of the B-cell receptor found on nearly all B-cell lymphomas; the target of the ADC polatuzumab vedotin and a frequently mutated gene in brain and testicular lymphoma.

  2. 2 · What goes wrong in cancer

    Transmembrane Ig-superfamily protein with an ITAM motif; together with CD79a it couples antigen binding to SYK/BTK/PI3K signalling and mediates BCR internalisation.

  3. 3 · How drugs use it

    No product in this corpus aims at CD79b yet. Because it sits on the outside of the cell, it can be reached from the bloodstream: antibodies flag the cell, ADCs deliver a toxin, radioligands deliver radiation, and CAR-T or bispecifics bring a T cell.

Biology

Transmembrane Ig-superfamily protein with an ITAM motif; together with CD79a it couples antigen binding to SYK/BTK/PI3K signalling and mediates BCR internalisation.

Where it is found
  • DLBCL (>95% expression; ~20% CD79B mutation in ABC subtype)
  • Follicular and mantle cell lymphoma (expression)
  • Primary CNS lymphoma (CD79B mutation ~60%)
  • CLL (lower expression)
Class
surface antigen · CD79B

How common it is, by cancer

CancerPrevalenceSource
Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
95%
doi.org
Primary CNS lymphoma
50-70%

Approximate, population-level figures; the measure column says what was counted. Ranges show the midpoint as a bar.

Key papers

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rctNew England Journal of Medicine 2022changed practice
POLARIX: swapping vincristine for the antibody-drug conjugate polatuzumab vedotin in first-line treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

POLARIX gave the first new first-line standard for DLBCL since rituximab was added to CHOP, and pola-R-CHP is now approved and widely used, especially in higher-risk or ABC-type disease. The gain is modest and survival is unchanged, so many clinicians still use R-CHOP in lower-risk or GCB-type patients. Cost and subgroup uncertainty drive ongoing debate.

Latest papers

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Latest papers · live from Europe PMC
Open in Europe PMC

Query for this target: (TITLE:"CD79b" OR ABSTRACT:"CD79b" OR TITLE:"CD79B" OR ABSTRACT:"CD79B") AND (cancer OR tumor OR tumour OR oncology OR carcinoma OR lymphoma OR leukemia OR leukaemia OR myeloma OR sarcoma OR melanoma OR glioma). Results are unfiltered search hits about CD79b, not a curated reading list.

Connected

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Pages like this

not linked directly; found by shared links

cancers

4
Diffuse large B-cell lymphomaFollicular lymphomaMantle cell lymphomaPrimary CNS lymphoma

technologies

1
Antibody-drug conjugate (ADC)

drugs

1
ApprovedADC
Polatuzumab vedotin · Polivy

terms

1
Cell of origin (GCB vs ABC)

key papers

1
POLARIX: swapping vincristine for the antibody-drug conjugate polatuzumab vedotin in first-line treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma