# Mesothelin

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

## TL;DR

Mesothelin is a surface protein on mesothelioma, ovarian, and pancreatic cancers, targeted by ADCs, CAR-T, and T-cell engagers.

## Summary

Mesothelin (MSLN) is a GPI-anchored protein with restricted normal expression on mesothelial surfaces; it binds MUC16/CA-125 but its function is largely dispensable, so targeting it carries little on-target risk in healthy tissue. It is expressed in 85-100% of epithelioid mesothelioma (lower in sarcomatoid), 80-90% of pancreatic cancer, 60-70% of serous ovarian cancer, and lung adenocarcinoma. Anetumab ravtansine failed in mesothelioma, which set back the ADC route. Mesothelin remains a leading solid-tumour CAR-T target, including regionally delivered and mRNA-CAR approaches designed to overcome poor infiltration and short persistence, and T-cell engagers are also in development. The simple version is a surface protein shared by several hard-to-treat cancers that engineered immune cells can be aimed at.

## Fields

- Kind: Target
- Last checked: 2026-09-04
- Tags: car-t-target; adc-target
- Symbol: MSLN
- Class: surface-antigen
- Biology: Binds MUC16/CA-125; function largely dispensable.
- Where found: Mesothelioma; Pancreatic; Ovarian; Lung adenocarcinoma

## Sources

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

## Connected records

- cancers: [Mesothelioma](https://onco.cc/cancers/mesothelioma/), [Metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/metastatic-pdac/), [Ovarian cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/ovarian/), [Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/pancreatic/)
- drugs: [Anetumab ravtansine](https://onco.cc/drugs/anetumab-ravtansine/), [EB-MF-CAR-NK-01](https://onco.cc/drugs/eb-mf-car-nk-01/)
- trials: [A Phase I/II Study of HY05350 in Mesothelin(MSLN)-Positive Advanced Solid Tumors](https://onco.cc/trials/nct07083323/), [Anetumab ravtansine versus vinorelbine in relapsed mesothelin-positive pleural mesothelioma](https://onco.cc/trials/anetumab-vs-vinorelbine-mpm/), [Dual-Target CAR-NK Cells Directed Against MSLN, EGFR, or HER2 in Advanced NSCLC](https://onco.cc/trials/nct07467863/), [Dual-Target CAR-NK Cells Targeting MSLN, EGFR, or HER2 in Advanced NSCLC](https://onco.cc/trials/nct07641023/), [Dual-Targeting CAR-NK Cells for Recurrent Ovarian Cancer (MSLN, FRα, MUC16)](https://onco.cc/trials/nct07480954/), [ECLIPSE (GVAX pancreas and CRS-207)](https://onco.cc/trials/eclipse/), [Pembrolizumab with or without anetumab ravtansine in mesothelin-positive pleural mesothelioma (NCI)](https://onco.cc/trials/nci-anetumab-pembrolizumab-mpm/)
- ideas: [Antibody-drug conjugates for mesothelioma: why they have failed so far and how they could work](https://onco.cc/ideas/idea-adc-for-mesothelioma/), [Regionally delivered mesothelin CAR-T with PD-1 blockade](https://onco.cc/ideas/idea-mesothelin-car-t-regional/), [Treat the body cavity, not the bloodstream, for surface spread](https://onco.cc/ideas/idea-bio2-intracavitary-immunotherapy/)
- technologies: [CAR-T cell therapy](https://onco.cc/technologies/car-t/)
- people: [Philip D. Greenberg](https://onco.cc/people/philip-greenberg/), [Raffit Hassan](https://onco.cc/people/raffit-hassan/)
- targets: [MUC16 (CA-125)](https://onco.cc/targets/muc16/)
- institutions: [NCI Center for Cancer Research (intramural programme)](https://onco.cc/institutions/nci-ccr/)

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