---
title: ChEMBL target search
description: 'Search ChEMBL for protein targets by gene name, UniProt ID, or organism.'
tags:
  - chembl
  - targets
---

Target search resolves a protein to its ChEMBL identifier by gene name, UniProt accession, or organism — it is typically the first step before a bioactivity search, since a confirmed target ID gives faster, more focused results than free-text resolution. The target type most affects precision: ask for single-protein targets to exclude protein complexes, families, cell lines, and whole-organism assays from the match.

## ChEMBL Target Search

Search for protein targets in ChEMBL by gene name, UniProt accession, or organism. Target search is typically the first step before running a bioactivity search.

## What you can ask for

| Filter | Default | Limits |
|--------|---------|--------|
| Query | Required | Gene name, UniProt accession, or free text (e.g., EGFR, P00533, kinase), 2-200 characters |
| Target type | Any | Single protein, protein complex, protein family, organism, or cell line |
| Organism | Any | A species name (e.g., Homo sapiens) |
| Number of results | 10 | Up to 50 per search |

## Target confidence, for context

ChEMBL itself assigns a confidence score (1-9) to each target-compound association in its underlying data, reflecting how directly the target was identified in the original assay — but the target search does not filter or return this score. To judge target-assignment reliability for a given compound, check that result's `assay_description` in a [bioactivity search](/docs/chembl/bioactivity).

| Score | Meaning |
|-------|---------|
| 9 | Direct single protein target |
| 8 | Homologous single protein target |
| 7 | Direct protein complex |
| 6 | Homologous protein complex |
| 5 | Direct selectivity measurement |
| 4 | Cell-based assay (mechanism-based) |
| 1–3 | Phenotypic or uncertain target |

## Chat Usage

### Example Prompts

- "Search ChEMBL for EGFR targets in human"
- "Find the ChEMBL ID for CDK4"
- "Search for single-protein human targets related to BRAF"

### Workflow Chaining

- **Feeds into**: Bioactivity search (provides ChEMBL target IDs), Target Passport
- **Accepts from**: PubMed literature search (target names mentioned in retrieved abstracts), UniProt search