Heinz Laubli

Heinz Laubli has characterized how cancer cells construct a thick glycocalyx shield through hypersialylation and fucosylation that physically and biochemically prevents immune cell recognition and killing, establishing glycan remodeling as a fundamental mechanism of cancer immune evasion. His clinical research demonstrated that tumor sialylation levels inversely correlate with T cell infiltration and response to immune checkpoint inhibitors. He has developed combination strategies using sialidase enzymes with anti-PD-1 therapy to strip the glycan shield and restore immune-mediated tumor killing. His work connects tumor glycobiology with clinical immunotherapy response.