Submitted/In preparation Manuscripts

*co-first authors; +corresponding authors

Targeting the sweet coat: glycan-directed CAR-T cell therapies for cancer (Invited Review)

Park S+, Ho C, Alam F, Maus MV+

Rewiring transferrin receptor expression enhances CAR-T cell proliferative fitness

Park S+, Ho C, Birocchi F, Wolff AN, Bouffard AA, Kelly C, Mucci A, Leick M, Berger T, Maus MV+. (In preparation)

Engineering KLK5-secreting CAR-T cells to overcome the cancer glycocalyx barrier

Park S+, Ho C, Birocchi F, Wolff AN, Fan Y, Bouffard AA, Kelly C, Paek J, Mucci A, Berger T, Paszek MJ, Maus MV+. (In preparation)

Spatial and temporal optical signatures generated by the deconstruction of single mammalian cells at liquid crystal interfaces

Ha Y, Kuo JCH, Paek JH, Park S, Jani P, Roh S, Paszek M, Abbott N. Accepted

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

Park S*, Paek JH*, Colville MJ, Huang LT, Struzyk PA, Womack SJ, Neelamegham S, Reesink HL, Paszek MJ. BioRxiv. (Submitted)

The microenvironment dictates glycocalyx construction and immune surveillance

Tharp K, Park S, Timblin G, Richards A, Berg J, Twells N, Riley NM, Peltan E, Shon DJ, Stevenson E, Tsui CK, Palomba F, Lefebvre AE, Soens R, Ayad N, Hoeve-Scott JT, Healy K, Digman M, Dilin A, Bertozzi C, Mahal LK, Swaney D, Cantor J, Paszek MJ, Weaver V. BioRxiv. (In revision)

Key Publications

*co-first authors; +co-corresponding authors

19. CAR-T cell therapy targeting cell-surface MUC17 in gastric tumors

Park S, Ho CE, Birocchi F, Wolff AN, Bouffard AA, Kelly C, Salas-Benito D, Escobar G, Mucci A, Berger TR, Maus MV. Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer (2025)
"We identified MUC17, a membrane-tethered mucin-type glycoprotein with minimal expression in normal tissues and frequent upregulation in gastric cancers, as a potential target for CAR-T therapy. We developed and validated MUC17-specific CAR-T cells incorporating a 4-1BB/CD3ζ signaling domain. In vitro assays assessed cytotoxicity, cytokine secretion, and T cell phenotypes across multiple gastric cancer cell lines, including CRISPR-mediated MUC17 knockout controls. In vivo efficacy was evaluated using NSG xenograft models." 

18. Tuning CAR-T cells by targeting cancer-associated glycan in pancreatic cancer

Park S, Ho CE, Darnell EP, Wolff AN, Takei H, Birocchi F, Bouffard AA, Salas-Benito D, Escobar G, Leick MB, Mucci A, Berger TR,  Maus MV. Nature Communications (2025)
"We incorporate an additional binder targeting Tn-MUC1, termed a "glyco-bridge", into mesothelin-targeted CAR-T cells to enhance CAR-T cell-mediated killing. This bridge not only facilitates CAR-T cell infiltration and increases avidity for their target cells but also activates CAR molecules in a manner dependent on the density of the bridge-target antigens and the affinity of the antigen-binding domain. To broaden the glyco-bridge targeting range, we modified the binding domain to be composed of tandem Helix pomatia agglutinin (HPA) lectins, enabling effective recognition of Tn antigens across various cancer types. Our CAR-T cells with the HPA glyco-bridge exhibit superior cytotoxicity in cell-line and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models of pancreatic cancer. By advancing binding strategies to penetrate the cancer glycocalyx, this approach opens new pathways for enhanced CAR-T cell efficacy in solid tumor immunotherapy." 

17. CAR-T cell therapy for the treatment of adult high-grade gliomas [review]

Park S, Maus MV, Choi BD. NPJ Precision Oncology (2024)
"Treatment for malignant primary brain tumors, including glioblastoma, remains a significant challenge despite advances in therapy. CAR-T cell immunotherapy represents a promising alternative to conventional treatments. This review discusses the landscape of clinical trials for CAR-T cell therapy targeting brain tumors, highlighting key advancements like novel target antigens and combinatorial strategies designed to address tumor heterogeneity and immunosuppression, with the goal of improving outcomes for patients with these aggressive cancers."

16. Collagen mineralization decreases NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity of breast cancer cells via increased glycocalyx thickness

Park S*, Choi S*, Shimpi AA, Estroff LA, Fischbach C+, Paszek MJ+. Advanced Materials (2024)
"Skeletal metastasis is common in patients with advanced breast cancer and often caused by immune evasion of disseminated tumor cells (DTCs). Here, a combination of synthetic bone matrix models with controlled mineral content, nanoscale optical imaging, and flow cytometry are utilized to evaluate how collagen type I mineralization affects the biochemical and biophysical properties of the tumor cell glycocalyx, a dense layer of glycosylated proteins and lipids decorating their cell surface. These results suggest that collagen mineralization upregulates mucin-type O-glycosylation and sialylation by tumor cells, which increases their glycocalyx thickness while enhancing resistance to attack by natural killer (NK) cells."

15. Immunoengineering can overcome the glycocalyx armor of cancer cells

Park S, Colville MJ, Paek JH, Shurer CR, Singh A, Secor EJ, Sailer CJ, Huang L, Kuo JCH, Goudge MC, Su J, Kim M, DeLisa MP, Neelamegham S, Lammerding J, Zipfel WR, Fischbach C, Reesink HL, Paszek MJ.  Nature Materials (2024)
*Highlight [Nature Materials] [Technology Networks] 
"Cancer cell glycocalyx is a major line of defence against immune surveillance. However, how specific physical properties of the glycocalyx are regulated on a molecular level, contribute to immune evasion and may be overcome through immunoengineering must be resolved. Here we report how cancer-associated mucins and their glycosylation contribute to the nanoscale material thickness of the glycocalyx and consequently modulate the functional interactions with cytotoxic immune cells. Natural-killer-cell-mediated cytotoxicity is inversely correlated with the glycocalyx thickness of the target cells. Together, our results motivate the development of immunoengineering strategies that overcome the glycocalyx armour of cancer cells."
14. Recombinant mucin biotechnology and engineering [review]Park S, Kuo JCH, Reesink HL, Paszek MJ. Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews (2023)
"Mucins represent a largely untapped class of polymeric building block for biomaterials, therapeutics, and other biotechnology. Because the mucin polymer backbone is genetically encoded, sequence-specific mucins with defined physical and biochemical properties can be fabricated using recombinant technologies. The pendent O-glycans of mucins are increasingly implicated in immunomodulation, suppression of pathogen virulence, and other biochemical activities. In this review, we discuss these advances, and the opportunities for engineered mucins in biomedical applications ranging from in vitro models to therapeutics."

Other Publications

13. When tumor contact reshapes CAR-T cells

Park S and Maus MV. Journal of Experimental Medicine  (2026)

12. The protease Cathepsin K can debulk the cancer glycocalyx

Kuo A, Tender GS, Chow WD, Riley NM, Wen KC, Park S, Paek JH, Roberts DS, Peltan EL, Paszek MJ, Bertozzi CR. Journal of Biological Chemistry (2026)

11. Ibrutinib and PD-1 blockade potentiate mesothelin-targeting CAR-T cell therapy in preclinical models of pancreatic  cancer

Armstrong A, Plancke GVD, Nishiguchi S, Salas-Benito D, Bouffard AA, Gonclaves S, Kelly C, Birocchi F, Park S, Leick M, Berger T, Maus MV, Escobar G. Clinical Cancer Research (2025)

10. In vivo CRISPR screens identify key modifiers of CAR T cell function in myeloma

Knudsen NH, Escobar G, Korell F, Kienka T, Nobrega C, Aderson S, Cheng A, Zschummel M, Armstrong A, Bouffard A, Kann MC, Goncalves S, Pope HW, Pezeshki M, Rojas A, Suermondt JS, Philips M, Berger T, Park S, Salas-Benito D, Darnell E, Birocchi F, Leick M, Larson R, Doench JG, Sen D, Yates KB, Mangusso RT, Maus MV. Nature (2025)

9. Tandem CAR-T cells targeting mesothelin and MUC16 overcome tumor heterogeneity by targeting one antigen at a time

Salas-Benito D, Birocchi F, Park S, Ho C, Armstrong A, Parker A, Bouffard AA, Frank JA, Kim E, Kienka T, Graham K, Kelly C, Goncalves S, Leick MB, Escobar G, Rueda B, Berger TR, Maus MV. Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer (2025)

8. Secretion of a VEGF-blocking scFv enhances CAR-T cell potency

Supper VM*, Donner H*, Birocchi F, Bratt A, Escobar G, Kann MC, Park S, Martin G, Korell F, Takei H, Parker A, Salas-Benito D, Darnell EP, Bailey SR, Kienka T, Bouffard A, Goncalves S, Choi BD, Haradhvala NJ, Maus MV, Leick MB. Cancer Immunology Research (2025)

7. Influence of the glycocalyx on the size and mechanical properties of plasma membrane-derived vesicles

Jani P, Colville MJ, Park S, Ha Y, Paszek MJ+, and Abbott NL+. Soft Matter (2025)

6. Dimerization activates the Inversin complex in C. elegans

Beyrent E, Wei DT, Beacham GM, Park S, Zheng J, Paszek MJ, and Hollopeter G. Molecular Biology of the Cell (2024)

5. The Lamin A/C Ig-fold undergoes cell density-dependent changes that alter epitope binding

Wallace M, Fedorchak GR, Agrawal R, Gilbert RM, Patel J, Park S, Paszek MJ, Lammerding J. Nucleus (2023)

4. Azimuthal Beam Scanning Microscope Design and Implementation for Axial Localization with Scanning Angle Interference Microscopy [review]

Colville MJ, Park S, Singh A, Paszek MJ, Zipfel WR. Biomedical Engineering Technologies (2022)

3. Litmus-Body: A Molecularly Targeted Sensor for Cell-Surface pH Measurements

Kuo JCH, Goudge MC, Metzloff AE, Huang L, Colville MJ, Park S, Zipfel WR, Paszek MJ. ACS Sensors (2020)

2. High-speed device synchronization in optical microscopy with an open-source hardware control platform 

Colville MJ, Park S, Zipfel WR, Paszek MJ. Scientific Reports (2019)

1. Profiling of protein–protein interactions via single-molecule techniques predicts the dependence of cancers on growth-factor receptors 

Lee H., Choi B, Kang HN, Kim H, Min A, Cha M, Ryu JY, Park S, Sohn J, Shin K, Yun M, Han JY, Shon MJ, Jeong C, Chung J, Lee S, Im S, Cho BC, Yoon T. Nature Biomedical Engineering (2018)