A27 - Chemical biology of intracellular nucleic acid recognition
In this proposal, we will take a chemical biology approach to explore the nucleic acid sensing interface of STING and RIG-I, by combining our unique expertise in nucleic acid chemistry, biochemistry, cell biology and nucleic acid analytics. To this end, we will develop and functionally characterize novel classes of agonists and antagonists for STING, and we will explore how RIG-I avoids RNA of self-origin at the molecular level. We anticipate that our work will allow us to gain further mechanistic insights into intracellular nucleic acid pathways and that our studies will also provide critical impetus for the development of novel nucleic acid-based therapeutics.
