Surface decoration of biomimetic Wnt5a ligands promotes cytotoxic T-cell mechanotransduction and activation

T cell-based cancer immunotherapy is a promising strategy to treat cancer. T cell activation is canonically dependent on recognition of tumor antigen by T cell receptor (TCR), with mechanoregulatory signals emerging as alternative triggering pathways. The TCR activation and following force generation are mediated by the local mechanical cues and biomimetic ligands presentation. We report here strategic functionalization of Wnt5a mimetic peptide ligand Foxy5 on a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) micropillar array substrate to enhance the mechanotransduction and activation of cytotoxic CD8+ T cell.