The RON receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK; also known as MST1R) was first identified in 1993 in a cDNA library from human epithelial cells. RON belongs to the c-MET family of proto-oncogenes. This RTK family has only two members, RON and Met, with only 34% overall similarity. However, the tyrosine kinase regions of the receptors were quite similar at 80% similarity. In 1994, a mouse cDNA was cloned encoding a homolog of RON, called the stem cell-derived tyrosine kinase receptor.

Hepatopancreatic cancer has a poor prognosis and high mortality rate. To combat this malignancy, aberrant expression and signaling of the ron receptor protein in the pathogenesis as a drug target for therapeutic intervention should be investigated.