Rishabh Jain, Medical Oncologist at AIIMS, shared a post on X:
“Claudins – The Next Big Solid Tumor Target?
A major 2026 review in Nature Reviews Cancer dissects why CLDN proteins are rapidly emerging as precision oncology targets
Here’s what every oncologist should know:
What are Claudins?
Tight junction transmembrane proteins maintaining epithelial polarity. Frequently dysregulated and overexpressed across solid tumors.
Why they matter in cancer?
- Promote proliferation
- Drive EMT and stemness
- Modulate fibrosis
- Shape immune microenvironment
- Contribute to therapeutic resistance
Therapeutic breakthrough
CLDN18.2 targeting has achieved regulatory approval – validating claudins as druggable surface antigens
Therapeutic platforms in development
- Monoclonal antibodies
- ADCs
- Bispecific antibodies
- CAR-T cells
- Intracellular pathway targeting
Precision angle
Surface overexpression + subtype correlation + biomarker-enriched selection = scalable solid tumor strategy.
Claudins may follow the HER2 playbook.
From barrier proteins to immunotherapy targets.”
Title: Claudin proteins as emerging therapeutic targets for solid tumours
Authors: Antonio Saviano, Alberto Toso, Samuel J. Klempner and Thomas F. Baumert
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