Leucine zipper-based SAIM imaging identifies therapeutic agents to disrupt the cancer cell glycocalyx for enhanced immunotherapy.

ABSTRACT: The abnormally thick glycocalyx of cancer cells can provide a physical barrier to immune cell recognition and effective immunotherapy. Here, we demonstrate an optical method based on Scanning Angle Interference Microscopy (SAIM) for the screening of therapeutic agents that can disrupt the glycocalyx layer as a strategy to improve anti-cancer immune responses. We developed a new membrane labeling strategy utilizing leucine zipper pairs to fluorescently mark the glycocalyx layer boundary for precise and robust measurement of glycocalyx thickness with SAIM. Using this platform, we evaluated the effects of glycosylation inhibitors and targeted enzymatic degraders of the glycocalyx, with particular focus on strategies for cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), a highly lethal malignancy with limited therape

SUBMITTER: Park S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11643053 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature