ArticleBiomaterials2020
T-cell activation is modulated by the 3D mechanical microenvironment.
Article in Biomaterials, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 71 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
71 citing papers in PubMed.
- Targeting LOXL4-driven matrix stiffening with acetyldigoxin restores CD8Science advances · 2026Article
- Cell-Type-Tailored Hydrogels for Adoptive Cell Therapy in Cancer.Gels (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Mechanobiology of CAR-T cell therapy: regulatory mechanisms and strategies for enhanced antitumor immunity.Journal of translational medicine · 2026Review
- Manufacturing synthetic viscoelastic antigen-presenting cells for immunotherapy.Nature protocols · 2026Review
- Microscale Mechanical Cues in Hydrogels: Engineering Strategies to Modulate Cell Fates in Three Dimensions.Cell biomaterials · 2026Article
- Studying Macromolecular Composition in Cell-Cell Interfaces Using 3D Membrane Reconstitution Systems.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Development of the relationship between tumor and mechanobiology over the past 30 years: a bibliometric analysis.Discover oncology · 2026Article
- Leveraging tissue-resident memory T cells for non-invasive immune monitoring via microneedle skin patches.Nature biomedical engineering · 2026Article
- Mechanical communication and function regulation of immune cells.Fundamental research · 2026Review
- Rapidly dissolving biomaterials for high-efficiency viral transduction.Acta biomaterialia · 2026Article
- Tunable Enhancement of T Cell Expansion Through Modulation of Stiffness and Adhesion Receptor Engagement in an Engineered Hydrogel Platform.Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) · 2026Article
- Decoding signaling architectures: CAR versus TCR dynamics in solid tumor immunotherapy.Acta biochimica et biophysica Sinica · 2026Review
- Integrin-Mediated Mechanosensing of Modeled Lymph Node Microenvironment Promotes T Cell Activation via Nuclear Deformation.Research (Washington, D.C.) · 2026Article
- T cell decision-making decodes the dynamic antigenic landscape.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Targeting delayed healing tissues: immune reprogramming of adaptive immune cells by biomaterials.Regenerative biomaterials · 2026Review
- Physical cues influence the construction of the osteoimmune microenvironment: focus on the hematoma period.Regenerative biomaterials · 2026Review
- Synthetic Biology and Biomaterials Strategies to Deceive the Tumor Microenvironment in CAR-T Immunotherapy.Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) · 2025Review
- Impact of 3D cell culture hydrogels derived from basement membrane extracts or nanofibrillar cellulose on CAR-T cell activation.iScience · 2025Article
- The Rise of Mechanobiology for Advanced Cell Engineering and Manufacturing.Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) · 2025Review
- Mechanoregulation of lymphocyte cytotoxicity.Nature reviews. Immunology · 2025Review
11 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
T cells recognize mechanical forces through a variety of cellular pathways, including mechanical triggering of both the T-cell receptor (TCR) and integrin LFA-1. Here we show that T cells can recognize forces arising from the mechanical rigidity of the microenvironment. We fabricated 3D scaffold matrices with mechanical stiffness tuned to the range 4-40 kPa and engineered them to be microporous, independently of stiffness. We cultured T cells and antigen presenting cells within the matrices and studied T-cell activation by flow cytometry and live-cell imaging. We found that there was an augmentation of T-cell activation, proliferation, and migration speed in the context of mechanically stiffer 3D matrices as compared to softer materials. These results show that T cells can sense their 3D mechanical environment and alter both their potential for activation and their effector responses in different mechanical environments. A 3D scaffold of tunable stiffness and consistent microporosity offers a biomaterial advancement for both translational applications and reductionist studies on the impact of tissue microenvironmental factors on cellular behavior.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.