Kevin Tharp

Cell Study Links High Glucose to a Thicker Cancer-Cell Sugar Shield

A study from Sanford Burnham Prebys and collaborating institutions found that elevated glucose thickened the glycocalyx—a sugar-rich coating on cancer cells—under laboratory conditions designed to resemble the tumor environment. The effect depended on HSF1, suggesting a possible research path for making cancer cells more visible to immune defenses, though no human treatment benefit was established.