Stimulator of Interferon Genes (STING) is a receptor that plays a significant role in inflammatory and degenerative diseases. Its natural ligand is cyclic guanosine adenosine monophosphate (cGAMP), which is produced by cGAMP synthase in response to DNA mutations. The goal of this WP is to develop synthetic cGAMP analogs that act antagonistically on STING and are suitable for oral therapy of AML.

Decitabine is a synthetic nucleoside that can significantly slow the progression of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) through an epigenetic mechanism that is not fully understood. However, this is not seen in all patients and toxic side effects are common. Preliminary work in WP1 has shown that decitabine can be chemically modified to increase its stability and reduce unwanted side effects. The aim of this WP is to develop decitabine analogs with even better pharmacological properties.