Boosting immune therapy in PTEN‑deficient prostate cancer by targeting the cGAS/STING pathway
Official title: Targeting the cGAS/STING Pathway to Overcome Resistance to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in PTEN-deficient Prostate Cancer
Funded at University of Chicago · NIH-11169704 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tests drugs that turn on the cGAS/STING immune switch to help immune checkpoint medicines work better for men with PTEN‑deficient metastatic prostate cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Chicago NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project start | September 20, 2022 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,063,904 |
| NIH project number | 4R01CA273914-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11169704 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates would be men with metastatic, castration‑resistant prostate cancer whose tumors have PTEN loss and who could provide tumor tissue or join a clinical trial at the study site.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without PTEN loss, those with early-stage disease not needing systemic therapy, or those ineligible for the required procedures are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
What this research studies
Researchers will study tumors and immune cells from people and mice to understand why prostate cancers with PTEN loss often resist immunotherapy. They focus on immune-suppressing myeloid cells, especially tumor-associated macrophages, that limit immune attack in these tumors. The team will try activating the cGAS/STING pathway in those immune cells—using agonists and combinations with checkpoint inhibitors—in lab models and patient tumor samples to see if more immune cells enter tumors and shrink them. The goal is to develop treatment approaches and tests that could guide future clinical trials for men with PTEN‑deficient metastatic prostate cancer.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could make immune checkpoint treatments work for many men whose PTEN‑loss prostate cancers currently do not respond.
How similar studies have gone: Preclinical work shows cGAS/STING activation can increase immune infiltration and sensitize tumors to checkpoint blockade, but clinical benefit in PTEN‑deficient prostate cancer has not yet been established.
Where this research is happening
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University of Chicago
Chicago, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Patnaik, Akash — University of Chicago
- Study coordinator: Patnaik, Akash
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.