STING and inflammasome pathways

Class

Immunostimulatory glycan polymer (1% N-dihydro-galacto-chitosan), delivered by intratumoral injection post-thermal-ablation

Pathway

STING/inflammasome-driven innate immune activation; acts as an antigen depot to prime systemic adaptive anti-tumor immunity

Notes

original target text: STING and inflammasome pathways (innate immune sensors, not a single receptor)

STING (stimulator of interferon genes) and the inflammasomes are innate immune sensors that detect signs of cellular damage or infection, such as fragments of DNA or other danger signals released when cells are destroyed. Under normal circumstances they help the body recognize and respond to injury or microbial threats. In cancer, tumors often suppress or evade this kind of local immune alarm, allowing them to grow without attracting attention from the immune system. Local thermal ablation of a tumor destroys tissue and releases tumor antigens and damage signals into the surrounding area; an immunostimulatory agent delivered directly into that site can engage STING and inflammasome sensing to amplify this response, recruiting and activating dendritic cells and other innate immune cells. This can convert the ablated tumor into a source of antigen that primes a broader, systemic anti-tumor immune response, an approach often called in situ vaccination. This mechanism is relevant across solid tumor types where local destructive therapies such as ablation are used, and where the goal is to extend a locally destructive procedure into a durable, whole-body immune response, potentially complementing other immune-based treatments.