iRGD

Oncology research In trials Animal studies

Also called Internalizing RGD peptide, CRGDKGPDC

A ring-shaped peptide that does not treat cancer itself — it makes tumours leaky. It docks onto integrins on tumour blood vessels, gets cut by an enzyme there, and the fragment then opens a transport route that lets whatever drug is circulating get in.

Evidence at a glance

Evidence: Animal studies — Not yet studied in people
Status: Reached clinical trials
Dosing: No human study has set a dose

Mouse data, from the laboratory that discovered it. It does nothing on its own — it is a delivery adjunct, and the same mechanism that improves drug entry could in principle help tumour cells spread. Human trials are early.

What studies report

Up to 40-fold greater drug accumulation in mouse tumours when co-administered with doxorubicin, trastuzumab or nab-paclitaxel
Matched the effect of roughly threefold higher doses of drug given alone
Early human trials in pancreatic cancer in combination regimens

How it works

Binds integrins on tumour endothelium; protease cleavage then exposes a fragment that binds neuropilin-1, activating a transport pathway that carries co-administered drugs into the tumour.

Binds a receptor on the cell surface and signals inward

Where it acts

Acts body-wide rather than on one organ

The library groups this compound under Oncology research. The diagram shows that target, not every tissue it reaches.

Illustrated

A conceptual close-up of a single irregular cancer cell with a textured membrane and large nucleus.

AI-generated subject illustration; not a depiction of the compound or evidence of its effects.

Why people take it

Improving delivery of existing cancer drugsReducing chemotherapy dose and toxicity

Reasons people seek it out — not a list of proven effects.

Status: Preclinical, with early-phase human trials in combination therapy. Not approved.

Route: Injection, alongside the drug it is meant to assist
Available as: Compounded vials

Search PubMed for iRGD → We link a live search rather than a fixed citation list, so it stays current and nothing here is a reference we have not checked.

Educational information only. Nothing here is medical advice, a dosing protocol, or a recommendation to use any compound. Most entries describe substances not approved for human use. Talk to a licensed clinician before acting on anything you read here. How to read these entries.