ArticleCells2026
Three-Dimensional Tumor Spheroids Reveal B7-H3 CAR T Cell Infiltration Dynamics and Microenvironment-Induced Functional Reprogramming in Solid Tumors.
Article in Cells, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Uncovering the Potential of 3D Spheroids for Modeling the Cellular Crosstalk Within the Tumor Microenvironment in HNSCC.Biotechnology journal · 2026Review
- Experimental Models and Nanotechnology-Based Platforms in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: From Tumor Biology to Translational Applications.Pharmaceutics · 2026Review
- PVR Mediates Resistance to IL21.CD276.CAR-T Therapy in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
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
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has demonstrated clinical success in hematologic malignancies but has limited efficacy in solid tumors due to tumor microenvironment (TME) barriers that impede CAR T cell recognition, infiltration, and sustained function. Traditional 2D assays inadequately recapitulate these constraints, necessitating improved in vitro models. This study validated a 3D tumor spheroid platform using an agarose microwell system to generate uniform B7-H3-positive spheroids from multiple solid tumor cell lines, enabling the evaluation of CAR T cell activity. TME-relevant immune modulation under 3D conditions was analyzed by flow cytometry for B7-H3, MHC I/II, and antigen processing machinery (APM), followed by co-culture with B7-H3 CAR T cells to assess cytotoxicity, spheroid integrity, tumor viability, and CAR T cell activation, exhaustion, and cytokine production. Two human cancer-cell-line-derived spheroids, DU 145 (prostate cancer) and SUM159 (breast cancer), retained B7-H3 expression, while MC38 (mouse colon cancer)-derived spheroids served as a B7-H3 negative control. Under 3D culture conditions, DU 145 and SUM159 spheroids acquire TME-like immune evasion characteristics and specifically downregulated MHC-I and APM (TAP1, TAP2, LMP7) with concurrent upregulation of MHC-II and calreticulin. Co-culture showed effective spheroid infiltration, cytotoxicity, and structural disruption, with infiltrating CAR T cells displaying higher CD4
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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.