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Carvedilol sensitizes chemotherapy by targeting STING to boost anti-tumor immunity

Yifang Dang1, Mingtong Ma2, Yan Wang3

  • 1Central Laboratory, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200433, China; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200072, China; Central Laboratory, Taicang Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University, Taicang 215400, China.

Cell Reports
|April 18, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Carvedilol, a heart medication, activates the STING pathway, crucial for anti-tumor immunity. This discovery offers a new strategy for cancer therapy by combining carvedilol with etoposide to enhance treatment effectiveness.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Pharmacology
  • Oncology

Background:

  • The stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway is vital for anti-tumor immunity and chemotherapy sensitization.
  • Currently, no clinically approved drugs specifically target STING activation for therapeutic purposes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify novel small-molecule activators of the STING pathway.
  • To investigate the potential of identified activators in enhancing cancer therapy.

Main Methods:

  • High-throughput screening of small-molecule microarrays to identify STING activators.
  • Mechanistic studies involving carvedilol's interaction with STING at threonine 263.
  • In vivo allografted tumor models and patient-derived tumor-like cell clusters (PTCs) to assess therapeutic enhancement.

Main Results:

  • Carvedilol, an adrenergic receptor blocker, was identified as a STING activator.
  • Carvedilol enhances STING dimerization by interacting with STING at threonine 263.
  • Carvedilol significantly improved the efficacy of etoposide in preclinical cancer models.

Conclusions:

  • Carvedilol is a novel STING activator with potential in cancer treatment.
  • Combining carvedilol with etoposide presents a promising therapeutic strategy for enhancing anti-tumor immunity and chemotherapy response.
Keywords:
CP: CancerCP: ImmunologySTINGcarvedilolcombination therapyetoposidetype I IFN response

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