Improving cancer treatment with combined Mers and Axl therapy

Axl and Mer kinases have both been shown to play a role in tumor cell growth and have therefore been seen as an attractive target for the treatment of cancers. The combination of both Axl and Mer inhibition is considered particularly attractive as a mechanism to enhance existing immunotherapies.

A team from AstraZeneca used Macromolecular Crystallography (MX) at Diamond to investigate the structure of different TAM¹ selective leads. Lead optimisation was used to improve potency and reduce lipophilicity. 

This is the first study of its kind to combine both TAM kinases. Discover what the team found.

^{1 Axl and Mer, both members of the TAM (Tyro3, Axl and Mer) family of RTKs}