# AXL

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

## TL;DR

A receptor that helps cancer cells survive stress, resist treatment and spread. Cabozantinib is among the multi-kinase drugs that block it, and dedicated AXL inhibitors and antibody-drug conjugates are in trials.

## Summary

AXL, a TAM-family receptor activated by the ligand GAS6, drives epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, invasion and immune suppression and is switched on as cancers become resistant to EGFR, ALK and BRAF inhibitors and to chemotherapy. Cabozantinib inhibits AXL alongside MET and VEGFR2, which is thought to contribute to its activity in kidney, liver and thyroid cancers after other treatments. Selective AXL inhibitors such as bemcentinib and the AXL-directed antibody-drug conjugate enapotamab vedotin have been tested without a clear win so far, and AXL remains a resistance target of high interest.

## Fields

- Kind: Target
- Last checked: 2026-09-04
- Symbol: AXL
- Class: kinase
- Biology: TAM-family receptor tyrosine kinase activated by GAS6; mediates mesenchymal transition and acquired resistance to targeted therapy.
- Where found: Kidney, liver and thyroid cancers treated with cabozantinib; Drug-resistant lung cancer, melanoma and triple-negative breast cancer

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AXL_receptor_tyrosine_kinase
- UniProt P30530: AXL: https://www.uniprot.org/uniprotkb/P30530/entry

## Connected records

- cancers: [Hepatocellular carcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/hcc/), [Renal cell carcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/rcc/), [Thyroid cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/thyroid/)
- drugs: [Cabozantinib](https://onco.cc/drugs/cabozantinib/)
- companies: [Qurient](https://onco.cc/companies/qurient/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/axl.json