R-848 is a selective agonistsfor Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) in mouse and for TLR7 and TLR8 in human. This activation is MyD88 dependent and leads to the induction of the transcription factor NF-kB. It demonstrates potent anti-tumor and anti-viral properties and induces the upregulation of cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-6 and IFN-α.