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Protein / target

Matrix metalloproteinase-9

Encoded byMMP9P14780Homo sapiensSwiss-Prot
Clinical-stage
Therapeutic maturity
5
Clinical candidates
4
Clinical trials
Small-molecule tractable
Druggability
Advanced Clinical

Protein at a glance

Biological role

Serine-type endopeptidase

Strongest disease association

Metaphyseal anadysplasia

Via encoding gene MMP9 · Genetic evidence · score 0.80

Therapeutic position

Clinically advancing target

Small molecules and antibodies

Research activity

Emerging research

7 papers · latest 2025

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 overview

Matrix metalloproteinase that plays an essential role in local proteolysis of the extracellular matrix and in leukocyte migration.

View complete UniProt function annotation

Matrix metalloproteinase that plays an essential role in local proteolysis of the extracellular matrix and in leukocyte migration (PubMed:12879005, PubMed:1480034, PubMed:2551898). Could play a role in bone osteoclastic resorption (By similarity). Cleaves KiSS1 at a Gly-|-Leu bond (PubMed:12879005). Cleaves NINJ1 to generate the Secreted ninjurin-1 form (PubMed:32883094). Cleaves type IV and type V collagen into large C-terminal three quarter fragments and shorter N-terminal one quarter fragments (PubMed:1480034). Degrades fibronectin but not laminin or Pz-peptide

Subcellular location

Secreted, extracellular space, extracellular matrix
Domains and Gene Ontology detail (39)

Domains & features

Fibronectin type-II 1Fibronectin type-II 2Fibronectin type-II 3

Gene Ontology

  • Cextracellular exosome
  • Cextracellular matrix
  • Cextracellular region
  • Cextracellular space
  • Cficolin-1-rich granule lumen
  • Ctertiary granule lumen
  • Fcollagen binding
  • Fendopeptidase activity
  • Fidentical protein binding
  • Fmetalloendopeptidase activity
  • Fmetallopeptidase activity
  • Fpeptidase activity

707 aa · 78 kDa

Biological roles

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

Ion channel gatingGOGrowth-factor signallingGOCell migrationGOCell adhesionUniProt · GOProteolysisUniProt · GO
View supporting evidence

Ion channel gating

  • ·negative regulation of cation transmembrane transport

Growth-factor signalling

  • ·positive regulation of epidermal growth factor receptor signaling pathway

Cell migration

  • ·cell migration

Cell adhesion

  • ·Matrix metalloproteinase that plays an essential role in local proteolysis of the extrac…
  • ·Secreted, extracellular space, extracellular matrix
  • ·extracellular matrix
  • ·extracellular matrix disassembly

Proteolysis

  • ·Matrix metalloproteinase that plays an essential role in local proteolysis of the extrac…
  • ·endopeptidase activity
  • ·metalloendopeptidase activity
  • ·metallopeptidase activity

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

Drugs targeting this protein

1

How approved and investigational drugs engage this protein — mechanism and action type, direct vs complex targeting, and how broadly each acts across other targets. A drug-first view (the section above groups the approved ones disease-first); direct binders with few recorded targets are listed first.

Rebimastat
Phase 3Inhibitor

Matrix metalloproteinase 9 inhibitor

Direct interaction with this protein · 1 of 6 recorded protein targets

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

Translational evidence

Open Targets 26

Why this target matters therapeutically, strongest evidence first. Disease associations are gene-level (via the gene that encodes this protein) and open into the full confidence synthesis; the development universe, tractability and safety annotations are target-level, from Open Targets.

Strongest disease associations · via encoding gene MMP9

Gene-level evidence surfaced through the gene MMP9that encodes this protein — not a direct protein–disease relationship. Ranked by Forefront's causal-directness weighting, so genetically- and clinically-evidenced diseases lead over ones that merely share the literature.

Metaphyseal anadysplasia
0.85Well supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.66

Crohn's Disease
0.69Moderately supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.41

Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung
0.52Moderately supported

Clinical evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.38

COVID-19
0.52Moderately supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.30

Intervertebral Disc Degeneration
0.51Moderately supported

Genetic literature evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.38

View evidence synthesis (5)
Metaphyseal anadysplasiaWell supported
0.85
agreement 0.730.97
Genetic76%Animal model24%Literature0%Genetic literaturedup

Open Targets aggregate 0.66 · 3 independent evidence families · 1 not counted as duplicate

Crohn's DiseaseModerately supported
0.69
agreement 0.590.79
Genetic78%Clinical14%Literature5%RNA expression3%

Open Targets aggregate 0.41 · 4 independent evidence families

Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell LungModerately supported
0.52
agreement 0.390.66
Clinical71%Literature24%RNA expression5%

Open Targets aggregate 0.38 · 3 independent evidence families

COVID-19Moderately supported
0.52
agreement 0.380.66
Genetic76%Literature24%

Open Targets aggregate 0.30 · 2 independent evidence families

Intervertebral Disc DegenerationModerately supported
0.51
agreement 0.350.66
Genetic literature93%Literature7%

Open Targets aggregate 0.38 · 2 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 per-type scores above show the calculation.

Show all associations
Metaphyseal anadysplasia0.66
Dengue0.48
Crohn's Disease0.41
Intervertebral Disc Degeneration0.38
Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung0.38
Gastric adenocarcinoma0.37
Colitis, Ulcerative0.32
Breast Neoplasms0.31
Prostatic Neoplasms0.31
COVID-190.30

Drug development

5 compounds recorded · 5 in clinical development

Open Targets' development universe — every compound recorded against the target at any stage, not all approved medicines. Distinct from the 1 drug that targets this protein in Forefront's canonical graph: these count different sets and are not a subset relation.

View all recorded compounds (5)
REBIMASTATPhase 3
AZD-1236Phase 2
ANDECALIXIMABPhase 3
CTS-1027Phase 2
MARIMASTATPhase 3

Open Targets known-drugs universe. Drug name and highest clinical stage only — the disease relationship is NOT read from this slice (it carries trial-context noise); approved indications come from the canonical graph above.

Tractability

Small moleculesStrong

Advanced Clinical and Structure with Ligand support this modality.

AntibodiesStrong

Advanced Clinical and UniProt loc high conf support this modality.

Protein degradersEmerging

Feasibility evidence (half-life data and small molecule binder) — no clinical-stage drug of this modality recorded.

View underlying tractability evidence (11)
SM · Advanced ClinicalSM · Structure with LigandSM · High-Quality LigandSM · High-Quality PocketSM · Druggable FamilyAB · Advanced ClinicalAB · UniProt loc high confAB · GO CC high confAB · UniProt SigP or TMHMMPR · Half-life DataPR · Small Molecule Binder

Raw Open Targets tractability assessment buckets, by modality.

Safety-related annotations

regulation of catalytic activityToxCastregulation of gene expressionToxCast

Terms indexed against this target in Open Targets' safety data, with their datasource. These are annotations, not causal claims: the direction of effect (whether activation or inhibition is implicated), species and evidence strength are not captured here, so an entry does not mean that modulating this target is known to cause that condition.

Clinical trials

4

Trials of drugs that target this protein — reached indirectly through those drugs, so a trial listed here studies the drug, not the protein. Ranked by active status, then clinical phase and recency, and spread across the targeting drugs.

ClinicalTrials.gov via the drug-target graph.

Research activity

7 papers · to 2025

Papers linked directly to this protein. This is the protein's own literature — descriptor-derived papers are kept separate below.

Most cited

Recent

Europe PMC papers linked directly to this protein.