CD123
An interleukin receptor over-abundant on a rare aggressive blood cancer and on leukaemia stem cells.
IL-3 receptor alpha is the target of tagraxofusp (BPDCN) and pivekimab sunirine (Decnupaz, approved 2026 for blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm). Also a CAR-T target in AML.
- Target · the protein and the cell it sits on
- Drug · antibody, small molecule, cell or radioligand
- Effect · signal, damage or kill
In plain words · An interleukin receptor over-abundant on a rare aggressive blood cancer and on leukaemia stem cells.
- 1 · What it is
An interleukin receptor over-abundant on a rare aggressive blood cancer and on leukaemia stem cells.
- 2 · What goes wrong in cancer
Expressed on leukaemic stem cells, plasmacytoid dendritic cells.
- 3 · How drugs use it
2 products aim at CD123: antibody-drug conjugates and immunotoxins. 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
Expressed on leukaemic stem cells, plasmacytoid dendritic cells.
- BPDCN
- AML
How common it is, by cancer
| Cancer | Prevalence | Measure | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acute myeloid leukaemia | 70-80% | Blasts and leukaemic stem cells | Universal in BPDCN | Wikipedia |
Approximate, population-level figures; the measure column says what was counted. Ranges show the midpoint as a bar.
Pivekimab sunirine is an antibody-drug conjugate against CD123, approved in 2026 for blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm as the second targeted drug for this rare cancer.
Tagraxofusp is a fusion of the growth factor IL-3 with a bacterial toxin that homes to CD123 on a rare, aggressive blood cancer.
Latest papers
topQuery for this target: (TITLE:"CD123" OR ABSTRACT:"CD123" OR TITLE:"IL3RA" OR ABSTRACT:"IL3RA") 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 CD123, not a curated reading list.