A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
GlycoAvatars : bead-coated membrane models for studying the cancer-immune cells interactome; 
Authors: Miranda, Andreia; Relvas-Santos, Marta; Lourenço, Camila; Ferreira, Eduardo; Cunha, Diogo M.; Palmeira, Carlos; Santos, Lúcio Lara; Mattila, Pieta K.; Ferreira, José Alexandre
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Publication year: 2026
Journal: Communications Biology
Article number: 1033
Volume: 9
eISSN: 2399-3642
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-026-10274-0
Publication's open availability at the time of reporting: Open Access
Publication channel's open availability : Open Access publication channel
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-026-10274-0
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/527051777
Self-archived copy's licence: CC BY NC ND
Self-archived copy's version: Publisher`s PDF
Immature protein O-glycosylation, characterized by the Tn antigen expression rather than complex glycans, is prevalent in advanced solid tumors and promotes immune evasion. We developed GlycoAvatars, magnetic beads coated with plasma-membrane glycoproteins from glycoengineered cancer cells reflecting these alterations, to identify cancer-immune cell interactomes. We uncovered numerous membrane and intracellular proteins involved in glycan-mediated immune signaling, providing a novel high-throughput strategy for identifying potential relevant molecular nodes foreseeing therapeutic targets.
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Funding information in the publication:
We thank the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (2022.12980.BD, SFRH/BD/146500/2019, 2022.08311.CEECIND; PTDC/ MED-OUT/2512/2021), the Research Council of Finland (grants 337530, 357910, 339810), and Finnish Cultural Foundations.
