Nanoparticle therapy that turns on the STING immune response to fight cancer
Engineered Nano-formulations for STING Activation
Developing nanoparticle medicines that activate the STING immune pathway to help people with advanced cancers, especially head and neck cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Michigan at Ann Arbor NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Ann Arbor, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11326702 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project is working to design tiny, engineered particles that carry drugs to activate the STING immune pathway, which can boost the body's ability to attack tumors. Researchers will test these nanoparticle drugs in advanced animal cancer models and run larger-animal safety studies to check for harmful effects. The goal is to overcome current limits where STING drugs must be injected directly into tumors and instead allow treatment of spread or hard-to-reach cancers. If the particles show strong anti-tumor effects and acceptable safety, they could move toward human clinical trials.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with advanced or metastatic head and neck cancer who have not responded to current immunotherapies would be the most likely candidates for future trials.
Not a fit: Healthy volunteers, people without cancer, or patients with early-stage or well-controlled disease are unlikely to benefit directly from this preclinical work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could lead to a new systemic immunotherapy that helps more people with advanced or metastatic head and neck cancer respond to treatment.
How similar studies have performed: Other STING-activating drugs have shown promise in lab studies and early trials when injected into tumors, but delivering STING activators systemically with nanoparticles is newer and less proven.
Where this research is happening
Ann Arbor, United States
- University of Michigan at Ann Arbor — Ann Arbor, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Moon, James J. — University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
- Study coordinator: Moon, James J.
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 below.