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Protein / target

Insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor

Encoded byIGF1RP08069Homo sapiensSwiss-Prot
Clinically validated
Therapeutic maturity
3
Approved medicines
Open Targets target-level
View by indication →
12
Clinical trials
Small-molecule tractable
Druggability
Approved Drug

Protein at a glance

Biological role

Insulin-like growth factor receptor

Strongest disease association

Genetic Diseases, Inborn

Via encoding gene IGF1R · Genetic evidence · score 0.85

Therapeutic position

Established drug target

Small molecules and antibodies

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

Receptor tyrosine kinase which mediates actions of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1).

View complete UniProt function annotation

Receptor tyrosine kinase which mediates actions of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1). Binds IGF1 with high affinity and IGF2 and insulin (INS) with a lower affinity. The activated IGF1R is involved in cell growth and survival control. IGF1R is crucial for tumor transformation and survival of malignant cell. Ligand binding activates the receptor kinase, leading to receptor autophosphorylation, and tyrosines phosphorylation of multiple substrates, that function as signaling adapter proteins including, the insulin-receptor substrates (IRS1/2), Shc and 14-3-3 proteins. Phosphorylation of IRSs proteins lead to the activation of two main signaling pathways: the PI3K-AKT/PKB pathway and the Ras-MAPK pathway. The result of activating the MAPK pathway is increased cellular proliferation, whereas activating the PI3K pathway inhibits apoptosis and stimulates protein synthesis. Phosphorylated IRS1 can activate the 85 kDa regulatory subunit of PI3K (PIK3R1), leading to activation of several downstream substrates, including protein AKT/PKB. AKT phosphorylation, in turn, enhances protein synthesis through mTOR activation and triggers the antiapoptotic effects of IGFIR through phosphorylation and inactivation of BAD. In parallel to PI3K-driven signaling, recruitment of Grb2/SOS by phosphorylated IRS1 or Shc leads to recruitment of Ras and activation of the ras-MAPK pathway. In addition to these two main signaling pathways IGF1R signals also through the Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription pathway (JAK/STAT). Phosphorylation of JAK proteins can lead to phosphorylation/activation of signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) proteins. In particular activation of STAT3, may be essential for the transforming activity of IGF1R. The JAK/STAT pathway activates gene transcription and may be responsible for the transforming activity. JNK kinases can also be activated by the IGF1R. IGF1 exerts inhibiting activities on JNK activation via phosphorylation and inhibition of MAP3K5/ASK1, which is able to directly associate with the IGF1R

Subcellular location

Cell membrane
Domains and Gene Ontology detail (45)

Domains & features

Fibronectin type-III 1Fibronectin type-III 2Fibronectin type-III 3Fibronectin type-III 4Protein kinase

Gene Ontology

  • Calphav-beta3 integrin-IGF-1-IGF1R complex
  • Caxon
  • Cinsulin receptor complex
  • Cmembrane
  • Cplasma membrane
  • Cprotein kinase complex
  • Creceptor complex
  • FATP binding
  • Fidentical protein binding
  • Finsulin binding
  • Finsulin receptor activity
  • Finsulin receptor binding

1367 aa · 155 kDa

Biological roles

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

Growth-factor signallingUniProt · GOReceptor tyrosine kinase signallingUniProtCell proliferation & survivalGOCell migrationGOImmune signallingUniProt · GO
View supporting evidence

Growth-factor signalling

  • ·Receptor tyrosine kinase which mediates actions of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1).…
  • ·insulin-like growth factor binding
  • ·insulin-like growth factor I binding
  • ·insulin-like growth factor receptor activity

Receptor tyrosine kinase signalling

  • ·Receptor tyrosine kinase which mediates actions of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1).…

Cell proliferation & survival

  • ·positive regulation of cell population proliferation

Cell migration

  • ·positive regulation of cell migration

Immune signalling

  • ·Receptor tyrosine kinase which mediates actions of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1).…
  • ·immune response

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

Approved medicines with mapped indications

1 medicine · 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.

Hypothyroidism1 medicine
Laron Syndrome1 medicine

3 medicines meet Open Targets' target-level approved-medicine definition; the 1 shown here are those on this page with a canonical approved disease indication in the graph. Approved indications from ChEMBL (phase-4), via the canonical drug→disease graph.

Drugs targeting this protein

2

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.

mecasermin
Narrow target profileApprovedAgonist

Insulin-like growth factor I receptor agonist

Indicated for Hypothyroidism, Laron Syndrome

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

Figitumumab
Narrow target profilePhase 3Antagonist

Insulin-like growth factor I receptor antagonist

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 IGF1R

Gene-level evidence surfaced through the gene IGF1R that 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.

Genetic Diseases, Inborn
0.85Well supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.52

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2
0.81Well supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.49

Gout
0.81Well supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.50

Atrial Fibrillation
0.80Well supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.49

Prostate carcinoma
0.76Well supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.46

View evidence synthesis (5)
Genetic Diseases, InbornWell supported
0.85
agreement 0.730.97
Genetic100%

Open Targets aggregate 0.52 · 1 independent evidence family

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2Well supported
0.81
agreement 0.710.92
Genetic60%Clinical28%Literature12%

Open Targets aggregate 0.49 · 3 independent evidence families

GoutWell supported
0.81
agreement 0.670.95
Genetic93%Literature7%

Open Targets aggregate 0.50 · 2 independent evidence families

Atrial FibrillationWell supported
0.80
agreement 0.660.94
Genetic94%Literature6%

Open Targets aggregate 0.49 · 2 independent evidence families

Prostate carcinomaWell supported
0.76
agreement 0.620.90
Genetic89%Literature11%

Open Targets aggregate 0.46 · 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
Graves' Ophthalmopathy0.57
Neurodegenerative Diseases0.52
Genetic Diseases, Inborn0.52
Gout0.50
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 20.49
Atrial Fibrillation0.49
Prostate carcinoma0.46

Drug development

20 compounds recorded · 3 approved · 16 in clinical development · 1 earlier-stage

Open Targets' development universe — every compound recorded against the target at any stage, not all approved medicines. Distinct from the 2 drugs that target this protein in Forefront's canonical graph (1 with a mapped approved indication, shown above): these count different sets and are not a subset relation.

View all recorded compounds (10)
MASOPROCOLApproval
VELIGROTUGPhase 3
CONTELTINIBPhase 1 2
PL-225BPhase 1
BIIB-022Phase 1
TEPROTUMUMABApproval
AXL-1717Phase 2
FIGITUMUMABPhase 3
KW-2450Phase 1 2
ISTIRATUMABPhase 2

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

Approved Drug and Structure with Ligand support this modality.

AntibodiesStrong

Approved Drug and UniProt loc high conf support this modality.

Protein degradersEmerging

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

Other modalitiesStrong

Approved Drug support this modality.

View underlying tractability evidence (15)
SM · Approved DrugSM · 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 · LiteraturePR · UniProt UbiquitinationPR · Database UbiquitinationPR · Half-life DataPR · Small Molecule BinderOC · Approved Drug

Raw Open Targets tractability assessment buckets, by modality.

Safety-related annotations

regulation of catalytic activityToxCast

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

12

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.

What's happening now

2

Recent therapeutic activity around this target — regulatory actions, clinical trials and safety signals for a drug that targets 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. Safety communication2020-01-27

    Drug Safety Update: Mecasermin (Increlex▼): risk of benign and malignant neoplasia

    mhra · safety · mhra · via mecasermin

  2. Regulatory approval2007-08-02

    Approval: Increlex (EMA)

    ema · regulatory · ema · via mecasermin

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.