{"entity":{"id":"tumor-associated-macrophages","kind":"term","name":"Tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs)","aka":[],"tldr":"Tumour-associated macrophages are immune cells that should eat cancer cells but are re-educated by the tumour to protect it instead. They are often the most abundant immune cell in a tumour.","summary":"Mostly M2-like, immunosuppressive, pro-angiogenic; recruited by CSF1 and CCL2; express PD-L1, SIRPα, TREM2. Targets: CSF1R (pexidartinib approved in TGCT; broadly disappointing in cancer), CD47/SIRPα (magrolimab failed), TREM2, CD40 agonists. Depleting M2 TAMs is also the rationale of the MERTK ADC RGX-019-MMAE.","asOf":"2026-09-08","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tumor-associated_macrophage","links":[{"label":"Wikipedia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tumor-associated_macrophage"}],"tags":[],"related":[],"cancers":[],"sections":[],"technologies":[],"targets":["cd47","pdl1"],"drugs":["magrolimab"],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":["tumor-microenvironment","myc"],"terms":[],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"category":"Cancer biology"},"route":"/terms/tumor-associated-macrophages/","neighbours":{"target":[{"id":"cd47","kind":"target","name":"CD47","route":"/targets/cd47/"},{"id":"pdl1","kind":"target","name":"PD-L1","route":"/targets/pdl1/"}],"drug":[{"id":"magrolimab","kind":"drug","name":"Magrolimab","route":"/drugs/magrolimab/"}],"pathway":[{"id":"myc","kind":"pathway","name":"MYC","route":"/pathways/myc/"},{"id":"myeloid-suppression-axis","kind":"pathway","name":"Myeloid suppression: TAMs, MDSCs & don't-eat-me signals","route":"/pathways/myeloid-suppression-axis/"},{"id":"nutrient-competition-tme","kind":"pathway","name":"Nutrient competition & metabolic immunosuppression","route":"/pathways/nutrient-competition-tme/"},{"id":"tumor-microenvironment","kind":"pathway","name":"Tumour microenvironment (TME)","route":"/pathways/tumor-microenvironment/"}],"paper":[{"id":"paper-balkwill-mantovani-inflammation-virchow-lancet-2001","kind":"paper","name":"Balkwill and Mantovani 2001: inflammation and cancer, back to Virchow?","route":"/key-papers/paper-balkwill-mantovani-inflammation-virchow-lancet-2001/"},{"id":"paper-quail-joyce-microenvironment-metastasis-natmed-2013","kind":"paper","name":"Quail and Joyce 2013: microenvironmental regulation of tumour progression and metastasis","route":"/key-papers/paper-quail-joyce-microenvironment-metastasis-natmed-2013/"}],"term":[{"id":"macrophage","kind":"term","name":"Macrophage","route":"/terms/macrophage/"}]}}