# BIM (BCL2L11)

Source: https://onco.cc/targets/bim/  
OnCo record `bim` (Target). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

BIM is a pro-death protein that leukaemia cells keep clamped by BCL-2. Venetoclax and sonrotoclax are BH3 mimetics: they copy the part of BIM that binds BCL-2, so BIM is released, the mitochondria leak and the cell dies.

## Summary

BCL2L11 (chromosome 2q13) encodes BIM, a BCL-2 family protein whose isoforms induce apoptosis and anoikis with differing potency: BimL is more potent than BimEL, the short Bim-alpha isoforms are weaker, and the BimAC and BimABC isoforms cannot induce apoptosis at all (UniProt O43521). The intrinsic apoptosis pathway record places BIM among the BH3-only proteins (with PUMA, NOXA and BAD) that either inhibit BCL-2, BCL-XL and MCL-1 or directly activate BAX and BAK. In OnCo the BH3 mimetics venetoclax and sonrotoclax occupy the BH3-binding groove of BCL-2 so that sequestered BIM and BAX are released, the mitochondrial outer membrane is permeabilised, cytochrome c triggers caspase activation and CLL, AML and mantle-cell lymphoma cells die within hours.

## Fields

- Kind: Target
- Last checked: 2026-09-22
- Also known as: BIM; BH3-only protein BIM; BH3; BimEL; BimL; BimS; BCL2 like 11
- Tags: wave5-target
- Symbol: BCL2L11
- Class: other
- Biology: BIM itself is not a drug target; the drugs mimic its BH3 domain. Sonrotoclax is recorded as more potent and shorter-acting than venetoclax and active against the venetoclax-resistant G101V BCL2 mutation in preclinical models; both need a ramp-up for tumour lysis precautions.
- Where found: Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and AML (venetoclax); Mantle-cell lymphoma and DLBCL (sonrotoclax)

## Notes

- Prevalence not recorded in this wave: HGNC and UniProt carry no positivity rates and no other source was consulted.

## Sources

- HGNC HGNC:994: https://www.genenames.org/data/gene-symbol-report/#!/hgnc_id/HGNC:994
- UniProt O43521: https://www.uniprot.org/uniprotkb/O43521/entry
- NCBI Gene 10018: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/10018

## Connected records

- drugs: [Sonrotoclax](https://onco.cc/drugs/sonrotoclax/), [Venetoclax](https://onco.cc/drugs/venetoclax/)
- targets: [BAX](https://onco.cc/targets/bax/), [BCL-2](https://onco.cc/targets/bcl2/)
- cancers: [Acute myeloid leukaemia](https://onco.cc/cancers/aml/), [Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia](https://onco.cc/cancers/cll/), [Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/dlbcl/)
- technologies: [BCL-2 inhibitors](https://onco.cc/technologies/bcl2-inhibitors/)
- pathways: [Intrinsic apoptosis (BCL-2 family)](https://onco.cc/pathways/apoptosis-bcl2/)

---
JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/bim.json