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Updated: Sep 17, 2025

Author Spotlight: Exploring the Role of Inflammation in the Co-occurrence of Primary Sjogren's Syndrome and Lung Adenocarcinoma
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Author Spotlight: Exploring the Role of Inflammation in the Co-occurrence of Primary Sjogren's Syndrome and Lung Adenocarcinoma

Published on: September 20, 2024

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Deciphering the role of signal regulatory protein α in immunotherapy for solid tumors

Yulong Zhou1, Xiyang Tang1, Weiguang Du1

  • 1Department of Thoracic Surgery, Tangdu Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.

Frontiers in Immunology
|July 1, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Signal regulatory protein α (SIRPα) and its ligand CD47 are key targets for cancer immunotherapy. Blocking this axis enhances anti-tumor responses and overcomes resistance to current treatments.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) like PD-1/PD-L1 therapies show efficacy in cancer treatment.
  • A significant portion of patients do not respond to ICIs, highlighting unmet needs in cancer immunotherapy.
  • Tumor immune evasion mechanisms are complex, necessitating novel therapeutic targets.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore signal regulatory protein α (SIRPα) as an innovative immune regulatory target in cancer.
  • To elucidate the mechanisms of SIRPα activity in different cell types.
  • To review SIRPα-targeted cancer therapies and their potential.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on SIRPα function and its role in cancer immunity.
  • Analysis of SIRPα's interaction with CD47 and its impact on myeloid cell function.
  • Exploration of SIRPα's intrinsic role in tumor growth and immune evasion.

Main Results:

  • SIRPα, expressed on myeloid cells, inhibits innate immunity via CD47 interaction.
  • Blocking the SIRPα-CD47 axis boosts myeloid cell anti-tumor activity and adaptive immunity.
  • Tumor-intrinsic SIRPα may promote tumor progression and immune escape.

Conclusions:

  • Targeting the SIRPα-CD47 pathway offers a promising strategy to enhance existing cancer immunotherapies.
  • SIRPα blockade can synergize with therapeutic antibodies and T-cell checkpoint inhibitors.
  • Further research into tumor-expressed SIRPα is warranted for developing novel therapeutic approaches.
Keywords:
CD47SIRPαimmune checkpoint inhibitorimmunotherapysolid tumor

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