# STING Activators as Therapy for Cancer

> **NIH NIH R41** · STINGINN, LLC · 2020 · $252,064

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The ability of dying cells to activate antigen presenting cells (APCs) is carefully controlled to avoid unwarranted
inflammatory responses. Thus, tumor cells avoid aggravating APCs by efficiently simulating regular dying cells
which following phagocytosis do not trigger inflammatory responses required for efficient cytotoxic T lymphocyte
(CTL) priming. However, dying tumor cells containing exogenous innate immune agonists such as cytosolic DNA,
potently activate APCs in trans through extrinsic innate immune, STING- dependent signaling to generate potent
CTL activity. In the absence of STING agonists, dying cells were ineffectual in the stimulation of APCs in trans.
Indeed, cytosolic STING activators, including cytosolic DNA and cyclic dinucleotides (CDNs), constitute cellular
danger associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) usually only generated by viral infection or following DNA-
damage events, that can render tumor cells highly immunogenic (make a `cold' tumor `hot'). Taking advantage of
our mechanistic insight and discoveries, we have now developed a new generation of innate immune activators
that trigger STING signaling (referred to as STAVs: STING activators). Tumor cells transfected with STAVs
activated APCs in trans and can generate potent anti-tumor T cell activity. Immunocompetent mice bearing
metastatic syngeneic tumors could be `cured' following inoculation with STAV `loaded' tumor cells. Our strategy
provides a new, simple, inexpensive therapeutic approach for the treatment of cancer. We have recently
published our findings in the journal Cancer CELL (31) and patented our intellectual property through the
University of Miami's Office of Technology Transfer (OTT). This technology has been licensed to STINGINN LLC,
to acquire sufficient pre-clinical data to warrant the consideration of clinical trials. For this study, we aim to
evaluate whether our STAV strategy could be useful for the treatment of leukemia (focusing on adult T cell
leukemia/lymphoma [ATLL] and Acute Myeloid Leukemia [AML]). ATLL is a clonal disease, invariably lethal and
there is no cure or vaccine. AML is among the most aggressive of leukemias and only 5-10% of patients over 60
survive up to 5 years using standard treatments. We have developed a murine tumor model for the study of
these diseases. The objective is to procure sufficient data to consider the development of pre-clinical trials for
the treatment of this and ultimately other types of leukemia and lymphoma related cancers.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10138327
- **Project number:** 1R41CA250629-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** STINGINN, LLC
- **Principal Investigator:** GLEN N BARBER
- **Activity code:** R41 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $252,064
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-17 → 2021-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10138327

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10138327, STING Activators as Therapy for Cancer (1R41CA250629-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10138327. Licensed CC0.

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