TKG-002

TKG-002 is a novel nucleic acid therapeutic developed by TKG Therapeutics and the University of Tokyo. It consists of engineered hairpin DNA (oHP) designed to undergo intracellular self-assembly upon binding to microRNA-21 (miR-21), which is frequently overexpressed in various cancers. This self-assembly process generates long double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) structures that activate the cGAS-STING innate immune pathway. Activation of this pathway leads to the production of phosphorylated IRF3, induction of apoptosis in cancer cells, and recruitment of CD8+ and CD4+ T cells to the tumor microenvironment. Preclinical studies in B16 melanoma models have demonstrated that intra-tumoral administration of TKG-002 significantly suppresses tumor growth, an effect that is further enhanced when combined with anti-PD-1 checkpoint inhibitors.

Other names

oHP