In this treatment, a patient’s T cells are genetically equipped with synthetic receptors that recognize molecules on cancer cells. Once activated, the engineered immune cells attach to their targets and release toxic proteins that damage the cancer cell membrane and trigger cell death. The USC researchers focused on the mechanical properties of tumor cells and their surroundings. When a soft, resistant cancer cell generated the relevant calcium signature, the engineered circuit triggered production of CD19 on its surface. The strategy was tested in breast cancer cell lines, patient-derived cancer cells and mouse models.