BioCentury
ARTICLE | Targets & Mechanisms

Making sense of sensors

Targeting nucleic acid sensors makes sense for cancer

July 28, 2016 7:00 AM UTC

Two new pathways are emerging as viable options for harnessing nucleic acid sensors in immuno-oncology, offering an alternative to the toll-like receptors (TLRs) that paved the way. By activating STING or RIG-I, researchers are expanding the possibilities for tapping into the innate immune system to create stand-alone treatments or combination therapies with checkpoint inhibitors.

With one compound targeting STING in Phase I and another targeting RIG-I scheduled to enter the clinic in 2017, companies are looking at the pathways as sources of new targets that could help establish or boost their immuno-oncology portfolios...