USPTO Patent Grant: Method for Enhancing Anti-Tumor Response in Melanoma

ChangeBridge: Patent Grants - Biotech (C12N)

Published March 24th, 2026

Detected March 24th, 2026

Summary

The USPTO has granted a patent (US12584919B2) for a method to enhance anti-tumor T cell responses in melanoma patients with defective STING signaling. The method involves administering a demethylating agent to demethylate STING proteins in tumor cells, potentially in combination with STING agonists or tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes.

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What changed

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued patent US12584919B2, detailing a method for enhancing anti-tumor T cell responses, particularly in subjects with melanoma and defective STING signaling. The patented method involves administering a demethylating agent to demethylate STING proteins within tumor cells. This approach is designed to be effective in subjects exhibiting reduced STING or cGAS expression, and can be combined with other therapeutic agents such as STING agonists or tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs).

This patent grant represents a novel therapeutic approach in oncology. While not a regulatory rule imposing direct compliance obligations, it signifies an advancement in potential treatments for melanoma. Companies involved in oncology drug development, particularly those focusing on immunotherapy or STING pathway modulation, should be aware of this patented technology. The patent's effective date is March 24, 2026, and it was filed on September 16, 2022.

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← USPTO Patent Grants

Enhancing anti-tumor response in melanoma cells with defective sting signaling

Grant US12584919B2 Kind: B2 Mar 24, 2026

Assignee

H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center

Inventors

James Mulé, Rana Falahat, Glen Barber

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a method for enhancing antitumor T cell responses in subjects. The method involves administering to the subject in need thereof a composition comprising a demethylating agent in an amount effective to demethylate STING proteins in the tumor cells. This method is particularly useful in subjects with deficient STING expression in the tumor cells. Therefore, also disclosed is a method for treating a tumor in a subject that involves detecting in a biopsy sample from the subject reduced STING expression, reduced cGAS expression, or a combination thereof; and then administering to the subject a demethylating agent in an amount effective to demethylate STING proteins in the tumor cells. The method can further involve administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a STING agonist. The method can further involve administering to the subject tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), such as HLA-matched TILs.