Protein / target

B-lymphocyte antigen CD19

CD19P15391Homo sapiensSwiss-Prot
Clinically validated
Therapeutic maturity
9
Approved medicines
30
Clinical trials
Antibody-tractable
Druggability
Approved Drug

Protein at a glance

Biological role

B cell proliferation involved in immune response

Primary system

Immune system

Strongest disease association

immunodeficiency, common variable, 3

Genetic evidence · score 0.84

Therapeutic maturity

Clinically validated target

9 approved medicines against this target

Druggability

Antibody

Open Targets tractability · Approved Drug

Clinical development

9 approved · 5 in clinical development

30 linked trials

Derived from structured UniProt, Open Targets and literature data on this page.

Protein profile

UniProt 2026_02

Canonical identity and biological annotation from UniProt.

Function

Functions as a coreceptor for the B-cell antigen receptor complex (BCR) on B-lymphocytes (PubMed:29523808). Decreases the threshold for activation of downstream signaling pathways and for triggering B-cell responses to antigens (PubMed:1373518, PubMed:16672701, PubMed:2463100). Activates signaling pathways that lead to the activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and the mobilization of intracellular Ca(2+) stores (PubMed:12387743, PubMed:16672701, PubMed:9317126, PubMed:9382888). Is not required for early steps during B cell differentiation in the blood marrow (PubMed:9317126). Required for normal differentiation of B-1 cells (By similarity). Required for normal B cell differentiation and proliferation in response to antigen challenges (PubMed:1373518, PubMed:2463100). Required for normal levels of serum immunoglobulins, and for production of high-affinity antibodies in response to antigen challenge (PubMed:12387743, PubMed:16672701, PubMed:9317126)

Subcellular location

Cell membraneMembrane raft
Domains and Gene Ontology detail (17)

Domains & features

Ig-like C2-type 1Ig-like C2-type 2

Gene Ontology

  • Cexternal side of plasma membrane
  • Cextracellular exosome
  • Cmembrane raft
  • Cplasma membrane
  • Cprotein-containing complex
  • Pantigen receptor-mediated signaling pathway
  • PB cell proliferation
  • PB cell proliferation involved in immune response
  • PB cell receptor signaling pathway
  • PB-1 B cell differentiation
  • Pimmunoglobulin mediated immune response
  • Ppositive regulation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B signal transduction

556 aa · 61 kDa · 2 isoforms

Biological roles

Reactome v97

What this protein does, drawn together from its UniProt function, Gene Ontology terms and Reactome pathways.

Immune signallingUniProt · GO · ReactomeKinase signallingGO
View supporting evidence

Immune signalling

  • ·Functions as a coreceptor for the B-cell antigen receptor complex (BCR) on B-lymphocytes…
  • ·antigen receptor-mediated signaling pathway
  • ·B cell proliferation
  • ·B cell proliferation involved in immune response

Kinase signalling

  • ·positive regulation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B signal transduction
View underlying pathways (6)

Concepts derived from UniProt GO Reactome — each badge above shows which sources supported that role.

Interaction neighbourhood

STRING v12.0

Proteins with the strongest functional or physical association. Node size and line weight reflect STRING confidence; hover or select a partner to inspect one association.

LYNIFITM1CR2CD81CD79AFCGR3BVAV1FCGR3ACD22CD79BCD19

10 strongest partners — larger node and heavier line mean higher confidence

Functional and physical associations from STRING v12.0. Only associations with this protein are drawn — partner-to-partner links are not part of this evidence.

Drugs targeting this protein

3

Whether each drug engages this protein directly or through a complex, and how many other targets are recorded for it. Direct binders with few recorded targets are listed first.

axicabtagene ciloleucel
Narrow target profileApprovedBinding agent

B-lymphocyte antigen CD19 binding agent

Appears in clinical studies involving diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

Direct interaction with this protein · Only this protein recorded as a target

tisagenlecleucel
Narrow target profileApprovedBinding agent

B-lymphocyte antigen CD19 binding agent

Appears in clinical studies involving diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, acute myeloid leukemia by FAB classification, B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

Direct interaction with this protein · Only this protein recorded as a target

blinatumomab
ApprovedCross-linking agent

B-lymphocyte antigen CD19 cross-linking agent

Appears in clinical studies involving acute lymphoblastic leukemia, B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, lymphoid leukemia, neoplasm

Direct interaction with this protein · 1 of 4 recorded protein targets

ChEMBL mechanism, action type and target identity. Open Targets clinical status and indications.

Translational evidence

Open Targets 26

Why this target matters therapeutically — disease associations, drugs in development, tractability and safety, from Open Targets.

Strongest genetic associations

Human genetic evidence — the most direct causal link between this target and a disease.

immunodeficiency, common variable, 30.84

Genetic · overall 0.67

agammaglobulinemia0.76

Genetic literature · overall 0.47

common variable immunodeficiency0.72

Genetic literature · overall 0.60

Highest-confidence therapeutic associations

Diseases where a drug acting on this target has already reached clinical development.

diffuse large B-cell lymphoma0.97

Clinical · overall 0.62

neuromyelitis optica0.92

Clinical · overall 0.58

acute lymphoblastic leukemia0.92

Clinical · overall 0.59

follicular lymphoma0.88

Clinical · overall 0.54

mantle cell lymphoma0.87

Clinical · overall 0.55

Highest overall evidence

Remaining associations by Open Targets' aggregated evidence score.

neoplasm0.53

Literature

B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia0.52

Clinical

Show all associations
immunodeficiency, common variable, 30.67
diffuse large B-cell lymphoma0.62
common variable immunodeficiency0.60
acute lymphoblastic leukemia0.59
neuromyelitis optica0.58
mantle cell lymphoma0.55
follicular lymphoma0.54
neoplasm0.53
B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia0.52
agammaglobulinemia0.47

Open Targets ranks 1,271 associations for this target and we store the top 10 by aggregated score. The long tail is largely literature co-mention and RNA-expression evidence, not evidence that this target drives those diseases.

Known drugs · 14 total

TISAGENLECLEUCELApproval

diffuse large B-cell lymphoma · acute myeloid leukemia by FAB classification · B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia

INEBILIZUMABApproval

neuromyelitis optica · neuromyelitis optica · myasthenia gravis

OBECABTAGENE AUTOLEUCELApproval

B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia · acute lymphoblastic leukemia · systemic lupus erythematosus

MDX-1342Phase 2

childhood leukemia · B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia · rheumatoid arthritis

AXICABTAGENE CILOLEUCELApproval

diffuse large B-cell lymphoma · follicular lymphoma · diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

BLINATUMOMABApproval

acute lymphoblastic leukemia · B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia · lymphoid leukemia

OBEXELIMABPhase 3

immunoglobulin G4-related sclerosing disease · autoimmune hemolytic anemia · systemic lupus erythematosus

TAFASITAMABApproval

diffuse large B-cell lymphoma · lymphoma · diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

BREXUCABTAGENE AUTOLEUCELApproval

mantle cell lymphoma · mantle cell lymphoma · hematopoietic and lymphoid cell neoplasm

ONCOLYSIN BPhase 2

bone marrow transplantation

Tractability

AB · Approved DrugAB · UniProt loc high confAB · GO CC high confAB · UniProt SigP or TMHMMPR · Half-life DataOC · Approved Drug

Clinical trials

30

Trials of drugs that target this protein — reached indirectly through those drugs, so a trial listed here studies the drug, not the protein.

Show remaining trials (24)

RECRUITING · via blinatumomab · NCT07294677

ClinicalTrials.gov via the drug-target graph.

Forefront confidence

Synthesis

Our own weighting of the evidence behind each disease association. Human genetics and clinical evidence count for most; literature co-mention counts for little, because two entities sharing an abstract is not evidence that one drives the other.

immunodeficiency, common variable, 3Well supported
0.88
agreement 0.761.00
Genetic77%Animal model23%Literature0%Genetic literaturedup

Open Targets aggregate 0.67 · 3 independent evidence families · 1 not counted as duplicate

diffuse large B-cell lymphomaWell supported
0.76
agreement 0.610.92
Clinical85%Literature15%

Open Targets aggregate 0.62 · 2 independent evidence families

acute lymphoblastic leukemiaModerately supported
0.73
agreement 0.580.89
Clinical82%Literature18%

Open Targets aggregate 0.59 · 2 independent evidence families

neuromyelitis opticaModerately supported
0.72
agreement 0.560.88
Clinical88%Literature12%

Open Targets aggregate 0.58 · 2 independent evidence families

common variable immunodeficiencyModerately supported
0.72
agreement 0.590.84
Genetic literature61%Animal model26%Literature12%

Open Targets aggregate 0.60 · 3 independent evidence families

The evidence agreement range shows how closely the independent evidence families agree — it is not a statistical confidence interval, and nothing here is fitted to outcome data. Derived from Open Targets evidence types under Forefront weighting; the underlying per-type scores are shown above so the calculation can be checked.

What's happening now

14

Recent activity around this target, drawn from one canonical event stream. Every item is reached through 3 drugs that target this protein, so each event is news about that drug rather than about the protein directly.

  1. Research development2026-07-24
    Study of Yescarta patients reveals genetic red flags for CAR-T therapy side effects

    Fierce Biotech · news · via axicabtagene ciloleucel

  2. New publication2024-07-08
    A systematic review and meta-analysis of nonrelapse mortality after CAR T cell therapy.

    Nature medicine · 2024 · 190 citations · Europe PMC · via axicabtagene ciloleucel

  3. New publication2021-12-11
    Axicabtagene Ciloleucel as Second-Line Therapy for Large B-Cell Lymphoma.

    The New England journal of medicine · 2022 · 1,202 citations · Europe PMC · via axicabtagene ciloleucel

  4. New publication2021-12-01
    CAR-HEMATOTOX: a model for CAR T-cell-related hematologic toxicity in relapsed/refractory large B-cell lymphoma.

    Blood · 2021 · 377 citations · Europe PMC · via tisagenlecleucel

  5. New publication2020-07-03
    Curative outcomes following blinatumomab in adults with minimal residual disease B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

    Leukemia & lymphoma · 2020 · 71 citations · Europe PMC · via blinatumomab

  6. New publication2020-05-13
    The BiTE (bispecific T-cell engager) platform: Development and future potential of a targeted immuno-oncology therapy across tumor types.

    Cancer · 2020 · 180 citations · Europe PMC · via blinatumomab

  7. New publication2018-12-02
    Long-term safety and activity of axicabtagene ciloleucel in refractory large B-cell lymphoma (ZUMA-1): a single-arm, multicentre, phase 1-2 trial.

    The Lancet. Oncology · 2019 · 1,761 citations · Europe PMC · via axicabtagene ciloleucel

  8. New publication2018-12-01
    Tisagenlecleucel in Adult Relapsed or Refractory Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma.

    The New England journal of medicine · 2019 · 3,115 citations · Europe PMC · via tisagenlecleucel

  9. Regulatory approval2018-08-23

    Approval: Kymriah (EMA)

    ema · regulatory · ema · via tisagenlecleucel

  10. Regulatory approval2018-08-23

    Approval: Yescarta (EMA)

    ema · regulatory · ema · via axicabtagene ciloleucel

  11. New publication2018-03-02
    Grading of cytokine release syndrome associated with the CAR T cell therapy tisagenlecleucel.

    Journal of hematology & oncology · 2018 · 266 citations · Europe PMC · via tisagenlecleucel

  12. New publication2018-02-01
    Tisagenlecleucel in Children and Young Adults with B-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

    The New England journal of medicine · 2018 · 4,269 citations · Europe PMC · via tisagenlecleucel

Objective event titles are shown unmodified; the event kind and significance line are derived from structured fields. Forefront AttentionEvent stream aggregating Europe PMC Regulatory filings ClinicalTrials.gov.