targetsTarget

Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7)

TLR7 is an innate immune sensor for viral RNA; the cream imiquimod switches it on to make the skin's immune cells attack superficial basal cell carcinoma.

Toll-like receptor 7 sits in the endosomes of plasmacytoid dendritic cells and other immune cells and recognises single-stranded RNA. Imiquimod is a synthetic TLR7 agonist applied as a cream: it triggers interferon-alpha and other cytokines locally, recruiting an immune response that clears superficial basal cell carcinoma, actinic keratoses and genital warts. TLR7 and TLR8 agonists are also being tested as injectable immune adjuvants in solid tumours.

Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7): what it is and how drugs act on it · animated generic schematic, not to scale

Target · the protein and the cell it sits on
Drug · antibody, small molecule, cell or radioligand
Effect · signal, damage or kill

In plain words · TLR7 is an innate immune sensor for viral RNA; the cream imiquimod switches it on to make the skin's immune cells attack superficial basal cell carcinoma.

1 · What it is
TLR7 is an innate immune sensor for viral RNA; the cream imiquimod switches it on to make the skin's immune cells attack superficial basal cell carcinoma.
2 · What goes wrong in cancer
An endosomal pattern-recognition receptor signalling through MyD88 to NF-kB and IRF7, driving type I interferon production.
3 · How drugs use it
No product in this corpus aims at Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) yet. Drugs bind the molecule precisely: to switch it off, flag the cell for the immune system, or deliver a payload.