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Updated: Jul 17, 2025

Author Spotlight: Dendritic Cells Maturation Using Sialidases-Based Enzymatic Treatment of the Cell Surface
Published on: October 20, 2023
The microenvironment dictates glycocalyx construction and immune surveillance
Kevin M Tharp1, Sangwoo Park2, Greg A Timblin1
1Center for Bioengineering and Tissue Regeneration, Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
None:
Efforts to identify anti-cancer therapeutics and understand tumor-immune interactions are built with in vitro models that do not match the microenvironmental characteristics of human tissues. Using in vitro models which mimic the physical properties of healthy or cancerous tissues and a physiologically relevant culture medium, we demonstrate that the chemical and physical properties of the microenvironment regulate the composition and topology of the glycocalyx. Remarkably, we find that cancer and age-related changes in the physical properties of the microenvironment are sufficient to adjust immune surveillance via the topology of the glycocalyx, a previously unknown phenomenon observable only with a physiologically relevant culture medium.
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