# TIM-3 blockade

Source: https://onco.cc/technologies/tim3-blockade/  
OnCo record `tim3-blockade` (Technology). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Antibodies against TIM-3, a checkpoint on exhausted T cells and myeloid cells, tested mostly with PD-1 drugs and in blood cancers.

## Summary

T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain 3 (TIM-3, gene HAVCR2) marks the most exhausted T cells and is also expressed on leukaemic stem cells and myeloid cells. Antibodies such as sabatolimab and cobolimab have been tested with PD-1 blockade in solid tumours and with hypomethylating agents in myelodysplastic syndromes and acute myeloid leukaemia; the STIMULUS programme in MDS did not meet its endpoints, and development is concentrated in combination settings.

## Fields

- Kind: Technology
- Status: phase-2
- Last checked: 2026-09-04
- Principle: Antibodies block TIM-3 binding to galectin-9, phosphatidylserine and CEACAM1, restoring T-cell and innate immune function.
- Strengths: Targets both adaptive and innate immune brakes; Expressed on leukaemic stem cells
- Limitations: Phase 3 MDS trials negative; Solid tumour activity modest so far

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HAVCR2
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HAVCR2

## Connected records

- cancers: [Acute myeloid leukaemia](https://onco.cc/cancers/aml/), [Myelodysplastic syndromes / neoplasms (MDS)](https://onco.cc/cancers/mds/), [Non-small-cell lung cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/nsclc/)
- fronts: [Immunotherapy](https://onco.cc/fronts/immunotherapy/)
- targets: [TIM-3](https://onco.cc/targets/tim3/)
- drugs: [Cobolimab](https://onco.cc/drugs/cobolimab/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/tim3-blockade.json