Cape Town researchers decode how cancer retools MUC1’s sugar cloak to dodge immunity

South African scientists at the University of Cape Town decoded how cancer rewires MUC1’s sugar coat, shifting from a protective shield to a cloak that blunts immune detection. By recreating the process in vitro and using quantum chemistry, they show tumor enzymes relocate from the Golgi to the endoplasmic reticulum to create aberrant Tn/sTn sugars, shaping a tumor-promoting microenvironment. Mapping this sugar code could inform cancer vaccines, biomarkers and therapies, pushing towards precision medicine.