The Urokinase Receptor (uPAR) as a “Trojan Horse” in Targeted Cancer Therapy: Challenges and Opportunities
Open accessAbstract
One of the largest challenges to the implementation of precision oncology is identifying and validating selective tumor-driving targets to enhance the therapeutic efficacy while limiting off-target toxicity. In this context, the urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) has progressively emerged as a promising therapeutic target in the management of aggressive malignancies. By focalizing the plasminogen activation cascade and subsequent extracellular proteolysis on the cell surface of migrating cells, uPAR endows malignant cells with a high proteolytic and migratory potential to dissolve the restraining extracellular matrix (ECM) barriers and metastasize to distant sites. uPAR is also assumed to choreograph multiple other neoplastic stages via a complex molecular interplay with distinct cancer-associated signaling pathways. Accordingly, high uPAR expression is observed in virtually all human cancers and is frequently associated with poor patient prognosis and survival. The promising therapeutic potential unveiled by the pleiotropic nature of this receptor has prompted the development of distinct targeted intervention strategies. The present review will focus on recently emerged cytotoxic approaches emphasizing the novel technologies and related limits hindering their application in the clinical setting. Finally, future research directions and emerging opportunities in the field of uPAR targeting are also discussed.
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HER2-targeted radioimmunotherapy results in tumor regression and prolonged survival in HER2-positive breast cancer.
“Radiopharmaceutical case studies vividly illustrate instances where this approach resulted in tumor regression and prolonged survival, underscoring the promise of such tailored strategies [97].”
From Radiopharmaceuticals: navigating the frontier of precision medicine and therapeutic innovation (2024) · cites this paper as [97]
Section 3.1 (page unavailable) reports complete tumor regression after radioimmunotherapy in triple-negative breast cancer mouse models, but the treatment targeted uPAR, not HER2. The prolonged metastatic-free survival reported in the same section was in a separate prostate cancer mouse model; the copy does not report prolonged survival for the breast cancer model. (LLM, conf=0.90)
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“The absolute requirement for the functional assembly of an active uPA/uPAR cell surface template for uPA-mediated plasminogen and subsequent PrAg-U2 activation in vivo was impeccably demonstrated by the complete lack of treatment response in tumor-bearing plg, uPA, and uPAR single-deficient mice challenged with the en…”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialProtein toxins: intracellular trafficking for targeted therapy
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Crystal structures of two human vitronectin, urokinase and urokinase receptor complexes
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“Vn binds uPAR t a composite epitope xposed on the DI/ II interface, via its small, N-terminal somatoedin B (SM ) domain and with a relatively weaker binding affinity (KD of 2 μM) (Figure 2) [33,37,40,43].”
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The urokinase receptor: a ligand or a receptor? Story of a sociable molecule
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“Since their discovery about 30 years ago, a wide variety of uPAR non-canonical interactors have been proposed in the literature, leading to the definition of the so-called uPAR interactome, comprising over 42 alleged protein partners so far [16,52,56,73,79,94].”
BackgroundYuan, H., Che, S., Hui, B., Yang, Y.-Y., Wang, X., Zhang, X., Qiang, Y., & Ma, H. (2019) · Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy · doi:10.1016/j.biopha.2019.108614 · Cited by 118 · see citing works
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The interaction between urokinase receptor and vitronectin in cell adhesion and signalling
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First-in-human uPAR PET: Imaging of Cancer Aggressiveness
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“The design and implementation of theranostic approaches combining uPAR-targeted therapeutic and non-invasive imaging modalities, such as positron emission tomography (PET), magnetic resonance (MRI), or near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging, are currently underway and hold clinical potential for significantly improv…”
BackgroundSelf-citationClinical Efficacy and Toxicity of Anti-EGFR Therapy in Common Cancers
Harandi, A., Zaidi, A., Stocker, A. M., & Laber, D. A. (2009) · Journal of Oncology · doi:10.1155/2009/567486 · Cited by 114 · see citing works
Structural Basis of Interaction between Urokinase-type Plasminogen Activator and its Receptor
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“, Vn, as detailed in the next paragraph [38,41,51].”
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Self-citationThe urokinase plasminogen activator receptor as a gene therapy target for cancer
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“Although impairment of uPAR function or inhibition of its expression was associated with impaired invasive, metastatic, and tumorigenic potential of many tumor models in vitro and in vivo [4,11,12,14,16,17,20,52,57,79,84,85], one study in transgenic mice with uPAR gene ablation showed no pronounced causal effects on d…”
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Use of molecular markers for predicting therapy response in cancer patients
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Theranostic Nanoparticles for Tracking and Monitoring Disease State
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Soluble and cleaved forms of the urokinase-receptor: degradation products or active molecules?
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Clinical Applications of the Urokinase Receptor (uPAR) for Cancer Patients
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“Besides uPAR’s well-established role in pericellular proteolysis, so-called non-proteolytic functions have emerged over the years, implying uPAR’s involvement in multiple intracellularsignaling pathways affecting several aspects of the neoplastic evolution such as cell proliferation, differentiation, survival, adhesio…”
BackgroundMapping of the Vitronectin-binding Site on the Urokinase Receptor
Gårdsvoll, H., & Ploug, M. (2007) · Journal of Biological Chemistry · doi:10.1074/jbc.m610184200 · Cited by 96 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Vn binds uPAR t a composite epitope xposed on the DI/ II interface, via its small, N-terminal somatoedin B (SM ) domain and with a relatively weaker binding affinity (KD of 2 μM) (Figure 2) [33,37,40,43].”
BackgroundSelf-citationAntibody-drug conjugates in clinical trials for lymphoid malignancies and multiple myeloma
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Urokinase‐type plasminogen activator and its receptor synergize to promote pathogenic proteolysis
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“The normal skin phenotype exhibited by either the single transgenic mice, bitransgenic mice overexpressing uPAR and a receptor-binding catalytically inactive form of uPA, or bitransgenic mice crossed into a Plg −/− background undoubtedly underscores the strict requirement for the assembly of a functional cell surface…”
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The Urokinase Receptor Interactome
Eden, G. C., Archinti, M., Furlan, F., Murphy, R. P., & Degryse, B. (2011) · Current Pharmaceutical Design · doi:10.2174/138161211796718215 · Cited by 92 · cited 3× · see citing works
“For an exhaustive overview of potential uPARinteractors, signaling networks, and functional implications in cancer, we invite the reader to refer to the following detailed reviews [4,16,73].”
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“Distinct regulatory mechanisms control uPAR expression in tumor and associated stromal cells at multiple levels, respectively, transcriptional, post-transcriptional, and posttranslational, with the former being considered the principal one [12,14,52,84,85,103,149].”
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Targeting uPAR with Antagonistic Recombinant Human Antibodies in Aggressive Breast Cancer
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“In some tumors, uPAR expression has also been detected in cancer stem cells [93,125] and bone marrow cancer cells [131,150,151].”
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Transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulation of the plasminogen activator system
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Multiple activities of a multifaceted receptor: roles of cleaved and soluble uPAR
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“The urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) represents one of the emerging attractive tumor targets for such targeted therapy due to its sparse expression in healthy homeostatic tissues compared to the robust expression in most solid tumors [4,5].”
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Urokinase Receptor and Integrin Interactions
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“The remarkable stromal expression of uPAR also allows targeting this compartment, which offers multiple opportunities to enhance the therapeutic efficacy compared to exclusively targeting the tumor cells, especially in tumors expressing uPAR in both cell types, such as pancreatic cancer, or those lacking a tumor-speci…”
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Characterization of the Functional Epitope on the Urokinase Receptor
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uPAR-targeted Optical Imaging Contrasts as Theranostic Agents for Tumor Margin Detection
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“Although impairment of uPAR function or inhibition of its expression was associated with impaired invasive, metastatic, and tumorigenic potential of many tumor models in vitro and in vivo [4,11,12,14,16,17,20,52,57,79,84,85], one study in transgenic mice with uPAR gene ablation showed no pronounced causal effects on d…”
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BackgroundThe plasminogen activation system in inflammation
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Structure and ligand interactions of the urokinase receptor (uPAR)
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“Human uPAR is a 55–60 kDa highly glycosylated protein (283 aa residues) [45,46], tethered to the outer leaflet of the lipid bilayer of the cell membrane by a C-terminal glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor [35,47].”
BackgroundSelf-citationStrategies to Reduce the Immunogenicity of Recombinant Immunotoxins
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Self-citationIntermolecular complementation achieves high-specificity tumor targeting by anthrax toxin
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“Although impairment of uPAR function or inhibition of its expression was associated with impaired invasive, metastatic, and tumorigenic potential of many tumor models in vitro and in vivo [4,11,12,14,16,17,20,52,57,79,84,85], one study in transgenic mice with uPAR gene ablation showed no pronounced causal effects on d…”
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Intact and cleaved uPAR forms: diagnostic and prognostic value in cancer
Rasch, M. G. (2008) · Frontiers in bioscience · doi:10.2741/3186 · Cited by 63 · cited 1× · see citing works
“These uPAR forms may therefore allegedly play a role in the process of tumor progression, possibly as autocrine or paracrine signals for tumor cell motility and angiogenesis [59,65,67].”
Backgroundα2‐Macroglobulin Receptor Mediates Binding and Cytotoxicity of Plant Ribosome‐Inactivating Proteins
Cavallaro, U., Nykjær, A., Nielsen, M. S., & Soria, M. R. (1995) · European Journal of Biochemistry · doi:10.1111/j.1432-1033.1995.tb20795.x · Cited by 63 · see citing works
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“Human uPAR is a 55–60 kDa highly glycosylated protein (283 aa residues) [45,46], tethered to the outer leaflet of the lipid bilayer of the cell membrane by a C-terminal glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor [35,47].”
BackgroundSelf-citationDuriseti, S., Goetz, D. H., Hostetter, D. R., LeBeau, A. M., Wei, Y., & Craik, C. S. (2010) · Journal of Biological Chemistry · doi:10.1074/jbc.m109.077677 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
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Clathrin and LRP-1-Independent Constitutive Endocytosis and Recycling of uPAR
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“as responsible for uPAR constitutive endocytosis and recycling [8].”
BackgroundTargeting the Urokinase Plasminogen Activator Receptor with Synthetic Self-Assembly Nanoparticles
Wang, M., Löwik, D. W. P. M., Miller, A. D., & Thanou, M. (2008) · Bioconjugate Chemistry · doi:10.1021/bc8001908 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
Inhibitors of the Protease Domain of Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator
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Targeting Receptors on Cancer Cells with Protein Toxins
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Urokinase type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) as a new therapeutic target in cancer
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“This association may have a bearing on the ability of uPAR to drive the transition between single-cell tumor dormancy and proliferation, which allows for the long-term survival of residual tumor cells during dormancy and reactivation of their proliferation years after primary treatment upon favorable conditions [13,85…”
BackgroundUrokinase receptor and resistance to targeted anticancer agents
Gonias, S. L., & Hu, J. (2015) · Frontiers in Pharmacology · doi:10.3389/fphar.2015.00154 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
Tumour endoproteases: the cutting edge of cancer drug delivery?
Atkinson, J. M., Siller, C. S., & Gill, J. H. (2008) · British Journal of Pharmacology · doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707657 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
Conformational Regulation of Urokinase Receptor Function
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Self-citationSafe and Effective Sarcoma Therapy through Bispecific Targeting of EGFR and uPAR
Borgatti, A., Koopmeiners, J. S., Sarver, A. L., Winter, A. L., Stuebner, K., Todhunter, D., Rizzardi, A. E., Henriksen, J. C., Schmechel, S. C., Forster, C. L., et al. (2017) · Molecular Cancer Therapeutics · doi:10.1158/1535-7163.mct-16-0637 · Cited by 54 · see citing works
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“Besides breast cancer, uPAR amplification has also been frequently reported in pancreatic cancer and analogously recognized as a significant adverse prognostic parameter identifying a subgroup of particularly aggressive tumors [10].”
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“There are also malignancies where the prominent uPAR expression is reported on cancer cells such as in esophageal [121,122] and cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas [40], as well as in gliomas such as anaplastic astrocytoma and glioblastomas [123,124].”
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The Urokinase Receptor: A Multifunctional Receptor in Cancer Cell Biology. Therapeutic Implications
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“These uPAR forms may therefore allegedly play a role in the process of tumor progression, possibly as autocrine or paracrine signals for tumor cell motility and angiogenesis [59,65,67].”
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Crystal Structure of the Urokinase Receptor in a Ligand-Free Form
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“In this context, the direct targeting of specific stromal components is one of the strategies being explored, with uPAR representing one of the emerging targets due to its abundant and ubiquitous expression in the tumor stroma of most cancer types [2].”
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Evolution and Medical Significance of LU Domain−Containing Proteins
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“These domains belong to the Ly-6/uPAR/α-neurotoxin (LU) protein domain family, which display a distinct conserved disulfide bridge pattern that creates the archetypical three-finger Ly6/uPAR (LU) domain [44,48].”
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“A thorough overview of the versatile applications of AE105 for non-invasive imaging of cancer is provided by the following review [26].”
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Sorted by citations
Radiopharmaceuticals: navigating the frontier of precision medicine and therapeutic innovation
Dhoundiyal, S., Srivastava, S., Kumar, S., Singh, G., Ashique, S., Pal, R., Mishra, N., & Taghizadeh-Hesary, F. (2024) · European Journal of Medical Research · doi:10.1186/s40001-023-01627-0 · Cited by 144 · see citing works
“Radiopharmaceuti-cal case studies vividly illustrate instances where this approach resulted in tumor regression and prolonged survival, underscoring the promise of such tailored strategies [97].”
BackgroundUrokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) as a therapeutic target in cancer
Zhai, B., Tian, H., Sun, J., Zou, J., Zhang, X., Cheng, J., Shi, Y., Fan, Y. B., & Guo, D. (2022) · Journal of Translational Medicine · doi:10.1186/s12967-022-03329-3 · Cited by 123 · see citing works
Hamada, M., Varkoly, K., Riyadh, O., Beladi, R. N., Munuswamy‐Ramanujam, G., Rawls, A., Wilson‐Rawls, J., Chen, H., McFadden, G., & Lucas, A. R. (2024) · Biomedicines · doi:10.3390/biomedicines12061167 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
“Cleavage of the D1–D2 linker domains by other proteases irreversibly blocks uPAR’s interaction with other proteins [27,28].”
BackgroundModulation of Cellular Function by the Urokinase Receptor Signalling: A Mechanistic View
Alfano, D., Franco, P., & Stoppelli, M. P. (2022) · Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology · doi:10.3389/fcell.2022.818616 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
“However, despite the advances in the molecular design and generation of uPAR-derived peptides or novel interactors, no uPAR-targeting therapeutics have currently progressed to clinical trials (Metrangolo et al., 2021).”
BackgroundBogdanović, B., Fagret, D., Ghezzi, C., & Montemagno, C. (2024) · Pharmaceuticals · doi:10.3390/ph17111556 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
“uPAR is a cell surface receptor crucial for cell migration, tissue remodeling, and inflammation. uPAR is frequently overexpressed in cancers such as breast, prostate, and lung cancer, where it is associated with increased tumor invasion and poor prognosis [174].”
The roles of proteases in prostate cancer
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suPAR: An Inflammatory Mediator for Kidneys
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“The list of ectoproteases as potential targets for cancer therapy is further expanding, as has already been seen with other ADAMs (including ADAM8, ADAM10, ADAM28), MT1-MMP/MMP14, the complex urokinase plasminogen (uPA)/uPAR, and neutral endopeptidase N/CD10 overexpressed in solid and haematological tumours [19,101,29…”
BackgroundReliable Hallmarks and Biomarkers of Senescent Lymphocytes
Сергеевна, М. Ю., Tereshchenko, V., Bogdanova, D. A., & Александрович, Р. С. (2023) · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · doi:10.3390/ijms242115653 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Fibroblast Activation Protein Targeting Probe with Gly–Pro Sequence for PET of Glioblastoma
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“This binding is stabilized by several key residues within the DI domain, including Tyr57, Tyr92, and Arg91 and Trp32 which form critical hydrophobic contacts with uPA [53,55–58] (Figure 1).”
Application of the transgenic pig model in biomedical research: A review
Wei, J., Zhang, W., Li, J., Jin, Y., & Qiu, Z. (2022) · Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology · doi:10.3389/fcell.2022.1031812 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
uPAR, beyond regulating physiological functions, has orchestrated roles in cancer (Review)
Wang, L., Lin, X., & Sun, P. (2022) · International Journal of Oncology · doi:10.3892/ijo.2022.5441 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Metrangolo, V., Blomquist, M. H., Dutta, A., Gårdsvoll, H., Krigslund, O., Nørregaard, K. S., Jürgensen, H. J., Ploug, M., Flick, M. J., Behrendt, N., et al. (2025) · Science Advances · doi:10.1126/sciadv.adq0513 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
“2), thus allowing both studies in xenografted and syngeneic tumors and an initial assessment of ADC on-target toxicity ( 11 , 45 ).”
InfluentialSelf-citationShmakova, A., Сергеевна, К. П., Rysenkova, K. D., Popov, V. S., Gorbunova, A. S., Karpukhina, A. A., Karagyaur, M. N., Rubina, K. A., Va, T., & Semina, E. V. (2022) · Cancers · doi:10.3390/cancers14040994 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Cui, X., Pei, X., Wang, H., Feng, P., Qin, H., Liu, S., Yan, Q., & Liu, J. (2022) · Cells · doi:10.3390/cells11193141 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
“The urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR), a glycoprotein linked to glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchored on the cell surface, is highly expressed in the invasive areas of the tumor-stromal microenvironment in cancers [20,21].”
BackgroundA convergent uPAR-positive tumor ecosystem creates broad vulnerability to CAR T cell therapy
Zhang, Z., Ho, Y.-J., Fang, X., Kim, M., Li, M., Luan, W., Hinterleitner, C., Haubner, S., Kogel, F., Pratt, E. C., et al. (2026) · Cell · doi:10.1016/j.cell.2026.03.002 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
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The inflammatory response of human pancreatic cancer samples compared to normal controls
Brayer, K. J., Hanson, J. A., Cingam, S. R., Martinez, C. G., Ness, S. A., & Rabinowitz, I. (2023) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0284232 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Conilh, L., Metrangolo, V., Crescioli, S., Reichert, J. M., & Dumontet, C. (2026) · Cell · doi:10.1016/j.cell.2026.04.016 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
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Dual modified ferritin nanocages for tumor-targeted and microenvironment-responsive drug delivery
Li, H., Qu, Y., Guo, Z., Chen, D., Jiang, L., Xu, P., Huang, M., & Yuan, C. (2025) · International Journal of Biological Macromolecules · doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.140694 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Current strategies for senescence treatment: Focused on theranostic performance of nanomaterials
Cong, Y., Li, X., & Hong, H. (2025) · Journal of Controlled Release · doi:10.1016/j.jconrel.2025.113710 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Skin Tape Strip Proteomics in Mycosis Fungoides Identifies Tumor-Associated Biomarkers
Techner, J., Hooper, M. J., Evans, S. T., LeWitt, T. M., Paller, A. S., Guitart, J., Lu, K. Q., & Zhou, X. A. (2022) · Journal of Investigative Dermatology · doi:10.1016/j.jid.2022.07.025 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Targeted imaging of uPAR expression in vivo with cyclic AE105 variants
Leth, J. M., Newcombe, E. A., Grønnemose, A. L., Jørgensen, J. T., Qvist, K., Clausen, A. S., Knudsen, L. B. S., Kjær, A., Kragelund, B. B., Jørgensen, T. J. D., et al. (2023) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-023-43934-w · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Self-citationRecent Advances in Targeting the Urokinase Plasminogen Activator with Nanotherapeutics
Kumar, A. A., Vine, K. L., & Ranson, M. (2023) · Molecular Pharmaceutics · doi:10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.3c00055 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
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Development of Cyclic Peptide‐Based Radiotracers for uPAR
Wang, X., Zhang, X., Zhang, S., Zhang, L., Shen, J., Zhang, Y., Zhang, H., Zhang, M., Wang, R., & Hu, K. (2025) · ChemMedChem · doi:10.1002/cmdc.202500061 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
García-Pérez, O., Melgar-Vilaplana, L., Sifaoui, I., Garcia-Bello, M. A., Córdoba-Lanús, E., & Fernández‐de‐Misa, R. (2023) · Melanoma Research · doi:10.1097/cmr.0000000000000904 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Serrat, J., Torres-Valle, M., Veríssimo, C. D. M., Siles‐Lucas, M., & González‐Miguel, J. (2025) · Veterinary Research · doi:10.1186/s13567-025-01449-4 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Genome Engineering as a Therapeutic Approach in Cancer Therapy: A Comprehensive Review
Gemayel, J., Chebly, A., Kourié, H. R., Hanna, C., Mheidly, K., Mhanna, M., Karam, F., Ghoussaini, D., Najjar, P. E., & Khalil, C. (2024) · Advanced Genetics · doi:10.1002/ggn2.202300201 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Bruun, S. B., Madsen, J. B., & Brasen, C. L. (2024) · Practical Laboratory Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.plabm.2024.e00371 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
“…urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) [1]. uPAR is expressed in various cells, such as neutrophils, monocytes, macrophages, endothelial cells, fibroblasts, smooth muscle cells, and some tumor cells [2]. uPAR expression increases during inflammation, immune responses, and injury [3].”
BackgroundAlbumin-based drug carrier targeting urokinase receptor for cancer therapy
Li, H., Wang, Z., Yu, S., Chen, S., Zhou, Y., Qu, Y., Xu, P., Jiang, L., Yuan, C., & Huang, M. (2023) · International Journal of Pharmaceutics · doi:10.1016/j.ijpharm.2023.122636 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Endothelial-specific Enhancer as a Cis Element of PLAUR Regulation by TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and VEGF
Penkov, D., Beloglazova, I. B., & Parfyonova, Y. V. (2024) · Current Pharmaceutical Design · doi:10.2174/0113816128296376240424072322 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
uPAR-targeted senolytic delivery to enhance cancer therapy
Nguyen, T. O. O., Nguyễn, B. L., Patil, B. R., Le, N. D., Kim, B., Jin, S. G., Choi, H., Ku, S., Xuan, H. L., Kim, J., et al. (2025) · Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation · doi:10.1007/s40005-025-00757-3 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“…carcinoma exhibit pronounced differences in mRNA levels of PLAUR (gene encoding uPAR) between tumor and normal tissues, while adenoid cystic carcinoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma show relatively similar or lower uPAR gene expression compared to healthy tissues (Metrangolo et al. 2021).”
Clinical Efficacy of Xueshuantong plus Urokinase in the Treatment of Sudden Deafness
Wang, Y., Wang, J., & Chen, X. (2022) · Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine · doi:10.1155/2022/7775556 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
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Schulte, A. J., Lewellen, M., Durose, W. W., Nolan, E. E., Taghizadeh, L. A., Todhunter, D., Bush, C., Lang, H. P., Brown, M. E., DePauw, T. A., et al. (2025) · Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics · doi:10.1016/j.jpet.2025.103674 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
“46 Recently, Amor et al 47 showed that uPAR-targeted chimeric antigen receptor-redirected T cells eliminated senescent cells, contributing to the reversal of chemical-or diet-induced liver fibrosis and life extension of mice with lung adenocarcinomas.”
Research on precision treatment of pancreatic cancer targeted by antibody-drug conjugates
Liu, X., Liu, W., Wu, C., Yuan, Y., Chang, A., & Hao, J. (2025) · BioScience Trends · doi:10.5582/bst.2025.01271 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
suPARnostic: an advanced predictive tool for detecting recurrence in renal cell carcinoma
Azawi, N., Mosholt, K. S. S., Fryd, N. D., Lund, L. C., Brignone, J. I., Hvid, N., Wulf-Johansson, H., Pedersen, O. B., Sækmose, S. G., & Dabestani, S. (2023) · BMC Urology · doi:10.1186/s12894-023-01337-z
“Upregulation of uPAR proteolysis is seen in various inflammatory and pathological tissue-remod-eling processes, including cancer metastasis, fibrinolysis, responses to infectious challenges, and wound healing [19].”
BackgroundHaemostatic Proteins as Markers of Disease Progression and Prognosis in Breast CancerPreprint
Izuegbuna, O. (2024) · Qeios · doi:10.32388/ufgk1o
Luo, T., Zhang, K., Wu, C., Wu, X., Yang, H., Chen, Z., & Jiang, F. (2025) · Frontiers in Pharmacology · doi:10.3389/fphar.2025.1681718
“…facilitating the conversion of plasminogen into plasmin and thereby promoting proteolytic activity. uPAR is overexpressed in both the parenchyma and invasive margins of pancreatic cancer tissues, while its expression in normal pancreatic tissue is minimal to undetectable (Metrangolo et al., 2021).”
Anane, R. F., Kumari, A., Venugopal, H., Trépout, S., Whisstock, J. C., Engelholm, L. H., Law, R. H. P., & Ploug, M. (2026) · Protein Science · doi:10.1002/pro.70473
“…(Lund et al., 2011) prompted a change in the research focus on uPAR-targeting strategies — from being mostly function-inhibition-centric to relying more on the cytotoxic eradication of dividing cells with high uPAR expression (Kriegbaum et al., 2011; Metrangolo et al., 2021; Yuan et al., 2021).”
Self-citationuPAR-directed immunotherapies in solid tumors: current advances and future perspectives
Napolitano, F., & Montuori, N. (2026) · Frontiers in Pharmacology · doi:10.3389/fphar.2026.1961182
“…the restricted expression of uPAR in normal tissues, except for subsets of myeloid cells, reduces the likelihood of severe systemic toxicity and supports the development of selective therapeutic strategies with a potentially favorable safety profile (Metrangolo et al., 2021; Eefsen et al., 2025).”
Influential
- Authors
- Metrangolo, V., Ploug, M., & Engelholm, L. H.
- Affiliations
- University of Copenhagen (DK)
- Corresponding author
- Engelholm, Lars H.
- Venue
- Cancers
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2021-10-27
- Volume
- 13
- Issue
- 21
- Pages
- 5376
- ISSN
- 2072-6694 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC8582577
- OpenAlex
- W3209572831
- Cited by
- 44
- References
- 267
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 10
- FWCI
- 0.87
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Cancers (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research at the University of Copenhagen (University of Copenhagen) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska Curie (801481)
- Danish Cancer Society (R231-A13832)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cancer Research › Protease and Inhibitor Mechanisms
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Peptidase Inhibition and Analysis
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Hematology › Blood Coagulation and Thrombosis Mechanisms
- Keywords
- urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor, uPAR, targeted cancer therapy, precision oncology, plasminogen activation, extracellular matrix degradation, metastasis, cell migration, off-target toxicity, prognostic factors
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
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