TWEAK, a member of the tumour necrosis factor superfamily, is a multifunctional cytokine that acts on cells by binding to a small cell-surface receptor named Fn14. Here, Winkles summarizes the biology of the TWEAK–Fn14 axis and describes the recent evidence supporting the notion that this axis could be a therapeutic target for the treatment of cancer, chronic autoimmune diseases and acute ischaemic stroke.
