Williams Lab
Principal Investigator: Noelle Sevilir Williams
Institution: The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (Dallas, TX)
Primary Subfield: Immunology
Recruitment Status: ✅ Hiring Postdocs
Research Focus
Project Summary/Abstract Damage to a cell can result in aberrant localization of DNA either outside the cell or in the cytoplasm. This mislocalized DNA can trigger a strong immunological response through the actions of two novel proteins. The DNA is first bound by cGAS (a cyclic GMP/AMP synthase), which converts GTP and ATP to a cyclic dinucleotide called cGAMP, which is then bound by another novel protein STING (Stimulator of Interferon Genes). STING undergoes a conformational change resulting in the expression of type I interferon genes. Aberrant STING signaling drives many autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, and while an inhibitor targeting cGAS is in clinical trials, there are concerns that targeting the cGAS-STING pathway for autoimmune or inflammatory disease may be detrimental for immunity to pathogenic challenge. In the current proposal we aim bring together our expertise in immunology, proteomics, structural biology, chemical biology, medicinal chemistry, and pharmacology to establish a synergistic research program to discover new strategies to target aberrant STING signaling, investigate the mechanism of the corresponding drug actions, and evaluate the drug effects in a…
Active NIH Awards
- 1P01AI186772-01A1: Preclinical Pharmacology Core (2026)
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