Claudin 6
A tight-junction protein normally found only in the embryo that reappears in ovarian, testicular, endometrial and lung cancers, making it a clean target for ADCs and CAR-T.
Claudin 6 is an oncofetal antigen essentially absent from adult tissue, unlike its relative CLDN18.2 (gastric mucosa). It is expressed in ~50-60% of ovarian and testicular germ cell tumours, and subsets of endometrial, lung and gastric cancers. TORL-1-23 (ADC) is in phase 2/3 in ovarian cancer; BNT211 (CAR-T with an amplifying mRNA vaccine, CARVac) reported responses in germ cell tumours; DS-9606 is another ADC. Sequence similarity to CLDN9 and CLDN4 requires highly selective antibodies.
- Target · the protein and the cell it sits on
- Drug · antibody, small molecule, cell or radioligand
- Effect · signal, damage or kill
In plain words · A tight-junction protein normally found only in the embryo that reappears in ovarian, testicular, endometrial and lung cancers, making it a clean target for ADCs and CAR-T.
- 1 · What it is
A tight-junction protein normally found only in the embryo that reappears in ovarian, testicular, endometrial and lung cancers, making it a clean target for ADCs and CAR-T.
- 2 · What goes wrong in cancer
Four-transmembrane tight-junction claudin expressed in embryonic epithelia and germ cells; silenced after development, re-expressed in cancers via epigenetic derepression.
- 3 · How drugs use it
No product in this corpus aims at Claudin 6 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
Four-transmembrane tight-junction claudin expressed in embryonic epithelia and germ cells; silenced after development, re-expressed in cancers via epigenetic derepression.
- Ovarian cancer (~50-60%)
- Testicular germ cell tumours (>90%)
- Endometrial cancer (~30%)
- NSCLC adenocarcinoma and gastric cancer (subsets)
How common it is, by cancer
| Cancer | Prevalence | Measure | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Testicular germ cell tumours | 90% | IHC positivity | ||
| Ovarian cancer | 50-60% | IHC positivity | varies by antibody and cutoff |
Approximate, population-level figures; the measure column says what was counted. Ranges show the midpoint as a bar.
Latest papers
topQuery for this target: (TITLE:"Claudin 6" OR ABSTRACT:"Claudin 6" OR TITLE:"CLDN6" OR ABSTRACT:"CLDN6") 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 Claudin 6, not a curated reading list.
Pages like this
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