Myeloid immune-checkpoint inhibition enters the clinical stage

Abstract

The first-in-human study of anti-CD47 antibodies blocking CD47–SIRPα interactions in combination with rituximab in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma shows encouraging clinical responses accompanied with mild levels of toxicity. Inhibition of the CD47–SIRPα interaction might provide a generic method of promoting the effects of antitumour antibodies in a variety of cancer types. This reveals, for the first time, an innate immune checkpoint as a bona fide target for therapy.