MET
A receptor that is either mutated in some lung cancers or amplified as an escape route when other lung cancer drugs fail.
MET exon 14 skipping (~3% NSCLC) responds to capmatinib and tepotinib. MET amplification drives resistance to EGFR inhibitors; amivantamab (EGFR×MET) and MET ADCs (telisotuzumab vedotin, Emrelis, approved 2025 in c-Met overexpressing NSCLC) address it. c-MET×EGFR bispecific ADCs (tilatamig samrotecan) lead the bsADC field.
- 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 receptor that is either mutated in some lung cancers or amplified as an escape route when other lung cancer drugs fail.
- 1 · What it is
A receptor that is either mutated in some lung cancers or amplified as an escape route when other lung cancer drugs fail.
- 2 · What goes wrong in cancer
HGF receptor; drives invasion and survival.
- 3 · How drugs use it
6 products aim at MET: antibody-drug conjugates, bispecific antibodies and small molecules. Kinases are switched on by binding ATP inside the cell, so most drugs are small molecules shaped to plug that ATP pocket.
Biology
HGF receptor; drives invasion and survival.
- NSCLC
- Gastric
- Papillary RCC
- HCC
How common it is, by cancer
| Cancer | Prevalence | Measure | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Renal cell carcinoma | 10-15% | Papillary RCC type 1 alterations | cBioPortal (TCGA) | |
| Non-small-cell lung cancer | 3-4% | Exon 14 skipping | Amplification in 5-20% post-EGFR TKI; c-MET overexpression ~25% of non-squamous | cBioPortal (TCGA) |
| Gastric & gastro-oesophageal junction cancer | 2-5% | Amplification | cBioPortal (TCGA) |
Approximate, population-level figures; the measure column says what was counted. Ranges show the midpoint as a bar.
A two-armed antibody that blocks EGFR and its escape partner MET, now first-line for EGFR-mutant lung cancer with lazertinib.
A pill that blocks both blood-vessel growth and the MET escape pathway, used in kidney, liver, thyroid and, since 2025, neuroendocrine cancers.
Capmatinib and tepotinib are two pills for the roughly 3% of lung cancers with a MET exon 14 skipping mutation.
Crizotinib was the first ALK inhibitor, approved four years after ALK fusions were found in lung cancer; it was also the first drug for ROS1 lung cancer and for ALK-positive lymphoma and inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour in children.
Telisotuzumab vedotin (Emrelis) is the first c-MET-directed ADC, approved in 2025 for lung cancer with high c-MET protein.
AstraZeneca's EGFR×c-MET bispecific ADC, the most advanced in the most crowded next-generation ADC target pair.
Latest papers
topQuery for this target: (TITLE:"MET" OR ABSTRACT:"MET") 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 MET, not a curated reading list.
Pages like this
not linked directly; found by shared links- TargetEGFR
Shares Dae Ho Lee, Tilatamig samrotecan, Amivantamab + lazertinib (first-line EGFR NSCLC), Add a drug when the blood test turns, without stopping the one that works and the tags driver, kinase.
- TargetROS1
Shares Koichi Goto, Crizotinib, Receptor tyrosine kinase activation, PI3K / AKT / mTOR and the tags driver, kinase.
- TargetRET
Shares Koichi Goto, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Cabozantinib, Receptor tyrosine kinase activation and the tags driver, kinase.
- TargetALK
Shares Crizotinib, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Resistance routes: how a blocked pathway comes back, Receptor tyrosine kinase activation and the tags driver, kinase.
- TargetHER2
Shares Amplification, Koichi Goto, Istituto di Candiolo IRCCS – FPO, Bispecific ADC and the tags driver, adc-target.
- TargetFGFR2
Shares Receptor tyrosine kinase activation, PI3K / AKT / mTOR, RAS / RAF / MEK / ERK (MAPK), Small-molecule kinase inhibitors and the tags driver, kinase.
- TargetKIT
Shares Receptor tyrosine kinase activation, PI3K / AKT / mTOR, RAS / RAF / MEK / ERK (MAPK), Small-molecule kinase inhibitors and the tags driver, kinase.
- TargetPIK3CA / PI3K-alpha
Shares Resistance routes: how a blocked pathway comes back, Receptor tyrosine kinase activation, PI3K / AKT / mTOR, Small-molecule kinase inhibitors and the tags driver, kinase.