COLUMBUS, Ohio – A five-year, $3.8 million federal grant will help researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) study the workings of a signaling pathway molecule called STING (stimulator of interferon genes) and evaluate its importance in antitumor immune response following cancer treatment. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases awarded the grant to principal investigator Glen Barber, PhD, an expert in virology and immunology who directs the Center for Innate Immunity and Inflammation at the OSUCCC – James’ Pelotonia Institute for Immuno-Oncology (PIIO). “Signaling pathway” refers to biological interactions within cells. A few years ago, Barber led a team that discovered the signaling pathway controlled by STING – a pathway activated by invasive microbes such as viruses, bacteria and parasites. They also showed that STING signaling is often suppressed in microbial-infected cells and human cancers, helping these cells evade the immune system. Their discoveries shed light on causes of inflammatory disease and showed that STING signaling is essential for antitumor immunity or helping cells combat cancer. This work has sparked efforts to design drugs that strengthen the body’s immune system by boosting the STING pathway. In their project summary for this new grant, the scientists say they have data indicating that innate immune STING signaling stimulates the production of essential immune proteins that help microbial-infected or cancer cells produce an immune response. “Here, we intend to clarify the mechanisms of how intrinsic STING signaling facilitates the transactivation of phagocytes (white blood cells within the immune system that combat harmful invaders) and the cross-presentation of microbial or tumor antigen,” they write. The researchers also hypothesize that reconstituting innate STING signaling in vitro (in the lab) and in vivo (in the body) will make cells immunogenic by triggering the activation of microbe- or cancer-fighting phagocytes. They believe these strategies could shed insight into cellular resistance to cancer therapies such as radiation, chemotherapy and immunotherapy, “as well as lead to new strategies to help improve the treatment of a wide array of inflammatory and malignant disease.” About the Center for Innate Immunity and Inflammation Under the direction of Barber, the Center for Innate Immunity and Inflammation (CIII) team works to better understand mechanisms of host defense against microbial infection and cancer development, including etiology of inflammatory disease. Understanding these processes could lead to new ways to prevent infection, improve cancer treatments and manage inflammation. For more information on the research team, visit Center for Innate Immunity and Inflammation. ### MEDIA CONTACT: Amanda Harper, amanda.harper2@osu.edu *story written by Bob Hecker, senior science writer