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Protein / target

Amyloid-beta precursor protein

Encoded byAPPP05067Homo sapiensSwiss-Prot
Clinically validated
Therapeutic maturity
3
Approved medicines
Open Targets target-level
View by indication →
30
Clinical trials
Small-molecule tractable
Druggability
Advanced Clinical

Protein at a glance

Biological role

Serine-type endopeptidase inhibitor

Strongest disease association

Alzheimer's disease type 1

Via encoding gene APP · Genetic evidence · score 0.95

Therapeutic position

Established drug target

Small molecules and antibodies

Research activity

Actively researched

36 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

Functions as a cell surface receptor and performs physiological functions on the surface of neurons relevant to neurite growth, neuronal adhesion and axonogenesis.

View complete UniProt function annotation

Functions as a cell surface receptor and performs physiological functions on the surface of neurons relevant to neurite growth, neuronal adhesion and axonogenesis. Interaction between APP molecules on neighboring cells promotes synaptogenesis (PubMed:25122912). Involved in cell mobility and transcription regulation through protein-protein interactions. Can promote transcription activation through binding to APBB1-KAT5 and inhibits Notch signaling through interaction with Numb. Couples to apoptosis-inducing pathways such as those mediated by G(o) and JIP. Inhibits G(o) alpha ATPase activity (By similarity). Acts as a kinesin I membrane receptor, mediating the axonal transport of beta-secretase and presenilin 1 (By similarity). By acting as a kinesin I membrane receptor, plays a role in axonal anterograde transport of cargo towards synapses in axons (PubMed:17062754, PubMed:23011729). Involved in copper homeostasis/oxidative stress through copper ion reduction. In vitro, copper-metallated APP induces neuronal death directly or is potentiated through Cu(2+)-mediated low-density lipoprotein oxidation. Can regulate neurite outgrowth through binding to components of the extracellular matrix such as heparin and collagen I and IV. The splice isoforms that contain the BPTI domain possess protease inhibitor activity. Induces a AGER-dependent pathway that involves activation of p38 MAPK, resulting in internalization of amyloid-beta peptide and leading to mitochondrial dysfunction in cultured cortical neurons. Provides Cu(2+) ions for GPC1 which are required for release of nitric oxide (NO) and subsequent degradation of the heparan sulfate chains on GPC1

Subcellular location

Cell membraneMembranePerikaryonCell projection, growth coneMembrane, clathrin-coated pitEarly endosomeCytoplasmic vesicleEndoplasmic reticulumGolgi apparatusSecretedCell surfaceNucleusCytoplasm
Domains and Gene Ontology detail (128)

Domains & features

E1BPTI/Kunitz inhibitorE2

Gene Ontology

  • Camyloid-beta complex
  • Castrocyte projection
  • Caxon
  • Ccell surface
  • Cclathrin-coated pit
  • Ccytoplasm
  • Ccytosol
  • Cdendrite
  • Cdendritic shaft
  • Cdendritic spine
  • Cearly endosome
  • Cearly endosome membrane

770 aa · 87 kDa · 11 isoforms

Biological roles

Reactome v97

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

Excitatory neurotransmissionGOGrowth-factor signallingGOCell proliferation & survivalGOCell migrationGOCell-cycle regulationGOLipid & lipoprotein metabolismUniProt
View supporting evidence

Excitatory neurotransmission

  • ·modulation of excitatory postsynaptic potential

Growth-factor signalling

  • ·response to insulin-like growth factor stimulus

Cell proliferation & survival

  • ·negative regulation of cell population proliferation

Cell migration

  • ·positive regulation of T cell migration

Cell-cycle regulation

  • ·positive regulation of mitotic cell cycle

Lipid & lipoprotein metabolism

  • ·Functions as a cell surface receptor and performs physiological functions on the surface…
View underlying pathways (20)

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.

SORL1APBB1APOEBACE1PSEN1TNFRSF…CLUPRNPNAE1APBA2APP

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.

Approved medicines with mapped indications

3 medicines · 2 areas

Approved therapies targeting this protein, grouped by what they are approved to treat — the disease-first view of the medicines below. Relationships come from the canonical approved-indication graph (ChEMBL phase-4), the same source as the drug cards.

Alzheimer's Disease3 medicines
Dementia3 medicines

Approved indications from ChEMBL (phase-4), via the canonical drug→disease graph.

Drugs targeting this protein

3

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.

lecanemab
Narrow target profileApprovedInhibitor

Amyloid-beta A4 protein inhibitor

Indicated for Alzheimer's Disease, Dementia

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

aducanumab
Narrow target profileApprovedBinding agent

Amyloid-beta A4 protein binding agent

Indicated for Alzheimer's Disease, Dementia

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

donanemab
Narrow target profileApprovedDisrupting agent

Amyloid-beta A4 protein disrupting agent

Indicated for Alzheimer's Disease, Dementia

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

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 APP

Gene-level evidence surfaced through the gene APPthat 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.

Alzheimer's Disease
0.98Well supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.81

Alzheimer's disease type 1
0.96Well supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.79

cerebral amyloid angiopathy, APP-related
0.90Well supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.75

Dementia
0.87Well supported

Clinical evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.68

Hereditary cerebral hemorrhage with amyloidosis, Piedmont type
0.72Moderately supported

Genetic literature evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.64

View evidence synthesis (5)
Alzheimer's DiseaseWell supported
0.98
agreement 0.881.00
Genetic44%Clinical37%Pathway12%Literature8%

Open Targets aggregate 0.81 · 4 independent evidence families

Alzheimer's disease type 1Well supported
0.96
agreement 0.841.00
Genetic82%Animal model15%Literature3%Genetic literaturedup

Open Targets aggregate 0.79 · 3 independent evidence families · 1 not counted as duplicate

cerebral amyloid angiopathy, APP-relatedWell supported
0.90
agreement 0.771.00
Genetic80%Animal model20%Genetic literaturedup

Open Targets aggregate 0.75 · 2 independent evidence families · 1 not counted as duplicate

DementiaWell supported
0.87
agreement 0.760.98
Clinical51%Genetic43%Literature6%Genetic literaturedup

Open Targets aggregate 0.68 · 3 independent evidence families · 1 not counted as duplicate

Hereditary cerebral hemorrhage with amyloidosis, Piedmont typeModerately supported
0.72
agreement 0.580.85
Genetic literature72%Animal model28%Geneticdup

Open Targets aggregate 0.64 · 2 independent evidence families · 1 not counted as duplicate

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
Alzheimer's Disease0.81
Alzheimer's disease type 10.79
cerebral amyloid angiopathy, APP-related0.75
Dementia0.68
Hereditary cerebral hemorrhage with amyloidosis, Piedmont type0.64
Hereditary cerebral hemorrhage with amyloidosis, Dutch type0.64
Hereditary cerebral hemorrhage with amyloidosis, Italian type0.64
Hereditary cerebral hemorrhage with amyloidosis, Iowa type0.64
Hereditary cerebral hemorrhage with amyloidosis, Arctic type0.64
Hereditary cerebral hemorrhage with amyloidosis, Flemish type0.64

Drug development

13 compounds recorded · 3 approved · 10 in clinical development

Open Targets' development universe — every compound recorded against the target at any stage, not all approved medicines. Distinct from the 3 drugs that target this protein in Forefront's canonical graph (3 with a mapped approved indication, shown above): these count different sets and are not a subset relation.

View all recorded compounds (10)
LECANEMABApproval
TRAMIPROSATEPhase 3
DONANEMABApproval
GANTENERUMABPhase 3
AMILOMOTIDEPhase 2 3
GSK933776Phase 2
ADUCANUMABApproval
BAPINEUZUMABPhase 3
VALILTRAMIPROSATEPhase 3
CRENEZUMABPhase 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

Approved Drug and UniProt loc high conf support this modality.

Protein degradersEmerging

Feasibility evidence (uniprot ubiquitination and database ubiquitination) — no clinical-stage drug of this modality recorded.

Other modalitiesStrong

Advanced Clinical support this modality.

View underlying tractability evidence (13)
SM · Advanced ClinicalSM · Structure with LigandSM · High-Quality LigandSM · High-Quality PocketSM · Druggable FamilyAB · Approved DrugAB · UniProt loc high confAB · GO CC high confAB · UniProt SigP or TMHMMPR · UniProt UbiquitinationPR · Database UbiquitinationPR · Small Molecule BinderOC · Advanced Clinical

Raw Open Targets tractability assessment buckets, by modality.

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. Ranked by active status, then clinical phase and recency, and spread across the targeting drugs.

View all trials (26)

ENROLLING_BY_INVITATION · via donanemab · NCT07167966

ClinicalTrials.gov via the drug-target graph.

What's happening now

7

Recent therapeutic activity around this target — regulatory actions, clinical trials and safety signals for 3 drugs that target this protein, plus publications where such a drug is a genuine subject. Every item is reached indirectly through the drug, not the protein itself; incidental mentions (a paper that merely measures a drug) and press items are excluded.

  1. Indication expanded2026-07-13

    Indication expansion: LECANEMAB-IRMB (BLA761375)

    fda · regulatory · fda · via lecanemab

  2. Regulatory approval2025-09-24

    Approval: Kisunla (EMA)

    ema · regulatory · ema · via donanemab

  3. Regulatory approval2025-08-29

    Approval: LECANEMAB-IRMB (BLA761375)

    fda · regulatory · fda · via lecanemab

  4. Regulatory approval2025-04-15

    Approval: Leqembi (EMA)

    ema · regulatory · ema · via lecanemab

  5. New publication2024-08-23
    Recent advances in Alzheimer's disease: Mechanisms, clinical trials and new drug development strategies.

    Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2024 · 640 citations · Europe PMC · via aducanumab

  6. New publication2022-11-29
    Lecanemab in Early Alzheimer's Disease.

    The New England journal of medicine · 2023 · 3,691 citations · Europe PMC · via lecanemab

  7. New publication2022-01-01
    Two Randomized Phase 3 Studies of Aducanumab in Early Alzheimer's Disease.

    The journal of prevention of Alzheimer's disease · 2022 · 1,003 citations · Europe PMC · via aducanumab

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.

Research activity

36 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

Selkoe DJ · EMBO molecular medicine · 2016

John B · PLoS biology · 2004

Walsh DM · Journal of neurochemistry · 2007

Haass C · Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in medicine · 2012

Zhang YW · Molecular brain · 2011

Recent

Gene replacement-Alzheimer's disease (GR-AD): Modeling the genetics of human dementias in mice.

Benzow K · Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2024

Early-life stress and amyloidosis in mice share pathogenic pathways involving synaptic mitochondria and lipid metabolism.

Kotah JM · Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2024

Europe PMC papers linked directly to this protein.