Aberrant Glycosylation Regulates Membrane Surface Architecture and Viscoelasticity of Pancreatic Cancer Cells Alexander X. Cartagena-Rivera May 1st, 2026 -- A. James Clark Hall @ UMD
Dr. Cartagena researches how pancreatic cell surface formations affect immune cell efficacy. Pancreatic cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the USA. Overall, his lab in the NIBIB studies how mechanical and chemical factors work together to regulate biochemical signaling and functions. His lab’s research began by using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) to map the surface of pancreatic cancer cells. His hypothesis was that the glycocalyx layer on the surface of pancreatic cancer cells prevents immune cells from properly reacting. Glycocalyx is a membrane that surrounds cells, and immune cells use it to differentiate cells, and eliminate them accordingly. He discovered that when he manipulated the chemicals that lead to glycocalyx growth, immune cell efficacy improved significantly, suggesting that glycocalyx manipulation is one of the mechanisms that pancreatic cancer cells use to metastasize in other parts of the body.
His main point was very convincing. His research clearly points to the fact that glycocalyx is a very important factor in pancreatic cancer metastasis. The exact mechanism is still undetermined, and something that he is looking to discover in the future. Using AFM they were able to prove that disrupting the production of hyaluronic acid and sialic acid resulted in a significantly different cell surface. This suggests that the cell surface geography defined by the glycocalyx is key to how pancreatic cancer cells travel through the body without triggering an immune response. Finding solutions for pancreatic cancer is a pressing matter. Cancer in general lacks many “one size fits all” solutions, and finding something fundamental like the glycocalyx of the cell that is proving to be the problem provides a research pathway with high potential for results. This can be applied clinically or even to other types of cancer, in a generic and cheap way, as opposed to tailored gene or drug treatments that are often used for cancer.