When DNA gets uracil: how cancer treatments can trigger immune signals
Deoxyuridine Contamination and Innate Immune Signaling
This research looks at whether cancer drugs that cause small DNA changes make tumor cells send immune signals that could affect treatment for people with cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11311924 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will use cancer cell models and molecular tests to see how deoxyuridine (a DNA mistake) builds up in DNA after common chemotherapies and ATR inhibitors. They will examine how the enzyme UNG and base excision repair can create DNA fragments that appear in the cell and trigger interferon immune signals. The team will compare normal and UNG-deficient cells and probe which immune sensors detect the DNA. Findings will help decide whether these DNA changes can be used to boost anti-cancer immune responses or predict treatment effects.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Most relevant are people with cancers treated with thymidylate synthase–targeting chemotherapies or ATR inhibitors, or patients willing to donate tumor or blood samples for lab studies.
Not a fit: People without cancer or those receiving treatments that do not affect DNA replication are unlikely to get direct benefit from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help doctors combine DNA-targeting drugs with immune therapies and identify which patients are most likely to benefit.
How similar studies have performed: Prior laboratory studies have shown ATR inhibitors can activate interferon signals through DNA repair pathways, but the detailed mechanism and clinical implications are still being worked out.
Where this research is happening
Pittsburgh, United States
- University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh — Pittsburgh, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bakkenist, Christopher J. — University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
- Study coordinator: Bakkenist, Christopher 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.