ChEMBL Targets Scraper

ChEMBL Targets Scraper

Scrape ChEMBL target records by name, organism, or target type, up to a million per run. Each target comes with its ChEMBL ID, preferred name, organism, and target type. No API key. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

ChEMBL's official API needs a registered client and rate-limits you. This reads the public target pages directly, filtered by search term, organism, or target type, and returns each match in one fixed schema.

Who uses it	What they scrape ChEMBL for
Drug discovery researchers	Which proteins are validated targets for a disease
Bioinformaticians	Building a local catalog of target metadata for analysis
Cheminformaticians	Linking target IDs to compound activity data
Academic labs	Teaching students about public bioactivity databases

What it does

This Actor collects ChEMBL target records by search term, exact ChEMBL ID, organism, or target type, and returns each one as a flat row.

• 🔍 Search by name: free-text search against the preferred name, e.g. kinase or EGFR.
• 🎯 Exact ChEMBL ID: pass CHEMBL203 to skip list pagination and fetch one target.
• 🧬 Organism filter: restrict to Homo sapiens or any other organism.
• 🏷️ Target type filter: choose from single protein, protein complex, cell line, and more.
• 📦 Bulk collection: set maxItems up to 1,000,000 per run.

Results export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, or straight from the API.

What you can do with ChEMBL data

🧬 Build a target catalog.

A bioinformatician runs the Actor with targetType: SINGLE PROTEIN and organism: Homo sapiens to assemble a local table of human protein targets for a screening platform.

🔍 Find targets by keyword.

A drug discovery researcher searches kinase to list all kinase targets, then filters by organism to prioritize human proteins.

🎯 Fetch one target by ID.

A cheminformatician passes CHEMBL203 to retrieve the exact record for EGFR and link it to compound activity data.

📊 Monitor target annotations.

A data curator runs the Actor weekly with a target type filter to track newly added or updated targets in ChEMBL.

Why choose this scraper

	What you get
No API key	Public ChEMBL pages are read directly, no registration or OAuth.
Fixed schema	Every target returns the same flat fields, ready for CSV or a database.
Filtered at the source	Organism and target type filters are applied before pagination, so you only pay for matches.
Bulk ready	Collect up to a million targets in one run.

How it compares

This Actor collects target metadata, while the competitor normalizes bioactivity records, so they serve different stages of the ChEMBL workflow.

Feature	ParseForge	ChEMBL Bioactivity Normalizer & QC
Target metadata (ID, name, organism, type)	Yes	Not listed
Bioactivity normalization	Not listed	Yes
Search by target name	Yes	Not listed
Filter by organism	Yes	Not listed
Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, XML	Yes	Not listed

Configure the run

Drive the Actor from a search term, exact ChEMBL ID, organism, or target type, alone or together, and filters run as each target is read so only matches reach your dataset. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

{
 "maxItems": 10
}

A larger pull:

{
 "maxItems": 200
}

Pricing

Pay-per-result: $0.0085 per result collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.

Results collected	Approximate cost
100 results	$0.85
1,000 results	$8.50
10,000 results	$85.00

New Apify accounts start with $5 in free credit.

Free users

Free-plan runs return up to 10 results as a preview. Upgrade your Apify plan to collect up to 1,000,000 results per run.

Run it

1. Create a free Apify account with $5 in credit.
2. Open the ChEMBL Targets Scraper.
3. Set your inputs and any filters, then click Start.
4. Export the results as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML from the Dataset tab.

Run it programmatically through the Apify API (run-sync-get-dataset-items) or the ApifyClient for JavaScript and Python.

Use with AI agents (MCP)

Give an AI agent live access to ChEMBL through the Model Context Protocol. Add the Actor to Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client:

claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=parseforge/chembl-targets-scraper"

Then prompt it in plain language to run the scraper and read back the results.

Troubleshooting

Why am I getting no results?

Your search term or filters may be too restrictive. Try a shorter keyword, or clear the organism and target type fields.

Why is the run slow?

ChEMBL pagination can be slow for large lists. Reduce maxItems or use an exact ChEMBL ID to fetch a single target.

Why did I get fewer items than maxItems?

The Actor stops when it reaches the end of the filtered list. Broaden your filters to get more results.

Why is my organism filter not working?

The organism field requires an exact match, such as Homo sapiens. Check the spelling and capitalization.

Can I get more fields than shown?

The Actor returns a fixed set of target fields. For additional data, use the ChEMBL API or a different scraper.

FAQ

Question	Answer
Do I need a ChEMBL API key?	No. The Actor reads the public ChEMBL web interface directly, so no registration or key is required.
Can I search by gene name?	Yes. The search field matches the preferred name, which often includes gene symbols like EGFR or TP53.
What is a ChEMBL target ID?	A stable identifier like CHEMBL203 that uniquely identifies a target in the ChEMBL database.
How many targets can I collect?	Set maxItems up to 1,000,000. The Actor stops when it reaches that number or the end of the list.
Can I filter by organism?	Yes, use the organism field with an exact name like Homo sapiens.
What target types are available?	Single protein, protein complex, protein family, cell line, tissue, nucleic acid, and more. See the input schema for the full list.
Does this scrape bioactivity data?	No, this Actor collects target metadata only. For bioactivity records, use a dedicated ChEMBL bioactivity scraper.
Can I export to Excel?	Yes, the Actor supports CSV, JSON, Excel, and XML exports.
Is the data live?	Yes, each run reads the current public ChEMBL pages, so you get the latest targets.
What if I get no results?	Check your search term or filters. Try a broader search or remove the organism and target type filters.

Related actors

Browse the full ParseForge collection for more scrapers.

🆘 Need help? Email parseforge@protonmail.com with your run ID, your input, and what you expected.

⚠️ Disclaimer. This Actor is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by EMBL-EBI. It collects only publicly available data. You are responsible for using the collected data in compliance with the source's terms of service and applicable data-protection laws, including GDPR, CCPA, and PIPL. Do not use it to collect personal data unlawfully.