Treating pathological conditions by direct and indirect targeting of sirpa-cd47 interaction

Abstract

The present invention relates to active agents or compounds as well as pharmaceutical compositions comprising said compounds, which are capable of reducing or inhibiting or blocking the enzymatic activity of the glutaminyl-peptide cyclotransferase (QPCT) protein, the glutaminyl-peptide cyclotransferase-like protein (QPCTL) protein, or combinations thereof or are capable of reducing or inhibiting the expression of QPCT gene, the QPCTL gene, or combinations thereof. Also provided are methods for screening or selecting for said compounds. The present invention further relates to a pharmaceutical composition comprising a first active agent for use in a method of treating a condition in a subject that would benefit from reducing the signaling or the binding between SIRPα and CD47 in the subject (e.g. cancer), wherein the method of treating comprises reducing expression or enzymatic activity of QPCTL, QPCT, or combinations thereof in the cell with CD47 on the surface. The compounds and pharmaceutical compositions of the invention may be particularly useful for treating a subject suffering from a disease or condition involving the CD47-SIRPα signaling axis such including e.g., various cancer types, atherosclerosis, fibrotic diseases, and infectious diseases.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.