A Microgel-Based Platform for Tunable Expansion and Function of γδ T-cells.

Favour Omafuvwe Obuseh, Junzhe Lou, Michelle Chang, Anqi Chen, David Weitz, David Mooney

Abstract readPreprint

In one paragraph

Article in bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

0citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Favour Omafuvwe ObusehHarvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology (HST), Cambridge, MA, USA.ORCID 0009-0008-2500-4194

Junzhe LouSchool of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.ORCID 0009-0002-3758-8285

Michelle ChangSchool of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.

Anqi ChenSchool of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.

David WeitzSchool of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6678-5208

David MooneySchool of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6299-1194

Funding

Viscoelasticity and T Cell ProductionR01CA276459 · NCI · HARVARD UNIVERSITY · PI David J Mooney · 2023 to 2026

$2.4M

NCI NIH HHS R01 CA276459

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Current γδ T-cell expansion protocols often sacrifice functionality for yield and largely ignore the context of activation. Here we utilize a tunable alginate microgel system functionalized with anti-CD3 and co-stimulatory antibodies (αCD28 or αCD2) to investigate the impact of biochemical signaling and substrate mechanics on γδ T-cell activation. Microgel-mediated expansion was compared to conventional soluble antibodies and TransAct beads. The microgels enhanced γδ T-cell expansion compared to soluble antibodies, allowed for controlled tuning of differentiation state, and promoted higher NKG2D, IFN-γ and TNF-α expression levels. Functionally, microgel-expanded γδ T-cells exhibited superior cytotoxicity against both solid and liquid tumor targets. This system also allowed elucidation of the differences in stimulation requirements for various donors, based on the starting phenotype. These findings establish a tunable platform for engineering γδ T-cells with improved therapeutic potential.

Indexed as

BiomaterialsEngineeringImmuno-engineeringPhysical sciencesγδ T-cells

Identifiers

PMID42539335

DOI10.64898/2026.07.23.740340

PMCPMC13420452

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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.