Synergistic inactivation of AXL: A (cross) road to cure ovarian cancer?

Inhibition of the receptor tyrosine kinase AXL, a key molecular driver of ovarian cancer, has recently been highlighted as promising therapeutic strategy. In this issue of EMBO Reports, Antony et al [1] have identified a novel mechanism of inhibition of AXL, wherein the GPI-anchored tumour suppressor OPCML sequesters AXL into specialised plasma membrane domains where the phosphatase PTPRG is located, therefore facilitating AXL dephos-phorylation. This attenuation of AXL signalling has translational implications for the design of synergistic therapies, to target the kinase for this aggressive malignancy.