# Human specific STING agonists for the treatment of cancer

> **NIH NIH R41** · STINGINN, LLC · 2023 · $399,812

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Cellular innate immune sensors, such as STING (STIMULATOR OF INTERFERON GENES), have evolved to
detect microbial infection of the cell (1-3). STING controls the potent cytosolic DNA-stimulated innate immune
pathways and is activated by cyclic dinucleotides (CDNs) such as cyclic di-GMP and cyclic-di-AMP secreted by
intracellular bacteria following infection. Alternatively, STING can be activated by cyclic GMP-AMP (cGAMP)
generated by a cellular cGAMP synthase cGAS (MB21D1) after association with aberrant cytosolic dsDNA
species, which can include microbial DNA or self-DNA leaked from the nucleus (4). Association with CDNs
enables STING to activate the production of type I interferon (IFN) and pro-inflammatory cytokines, which
facilitate adaptive immunity (3). Aside from being critical for the protection against microbial infection, STING
signaling has been shown to be essential for facilitating robust anti-tumor immunity. Regulation of the
immune system to stimulate anti-tumor cytotoxic T cell responses is proving to be a powerful approach for the
effective treatment of a variety of cancers. For example, STING agonists, based on synthetic CDNs, have been
shown to exert potent anti-tumor properties likely by stimulating APCs and are now being evaluated in Phase I
trials for the treatment of cancer. However, such CDNs are highly labile and do not exert potent activity when
given systemically. This has limited their use/evaluation to intratumoral and oral administration. Here, we
describe a new generation of novel small STING agonists that activate STING signaling, that appear superior to
existing CDN’s, for evaluation in anti-tumor therapeutic strategies. The compounds have been generated by
STINGINN LLC, based in Miami, in collaboration with the University of Miami School of Medicine, FL.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10759593
- **Project number:** 1R41CA275637-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** STINGINN, LLC
- **Principal Investigator:** JEONGHYUN AHN
- **Activity code:** R41 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $399,812
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2023-08-01 → 2025-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10759593

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10759593, Human specific STING agonists for the treatment of cancer (1R41CA275637-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10759593. Licensed CC0.

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