Boehringer Ingelheim disclosed discovery of novel cGAS inhibitors aimed at treating autoinflammatory interferonopathies, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, NASH/MASH and related immune-driven diseases. The company published structure–activity and preliminary in vitro profiles, positioning cGAS blockade as a strategy to reduce pathogenic type I interferon signaling. cGAS is a cytosolic DNA sensor that activates STING and downstream interferon production; inhibiting it is a targeted approach for diseases where self-DNA drives chronic inflammation. For translational researchers: small-molecule cGAS inhibitors will need CNS and tissue-penetration data and long-term safety datasets given the pathway’s role in antiviral defense.