02778nas a2200517   4500000000100000000000100001008004100002260001500043653001100058653001500069653001300084100001700097700002100114700001600135700001900151700002300170700001900193700002400212700002200236700001800258700002100276700001900297700001900316700001900335700001900354700001700373700002200390700002200412700001700434700002300451700001900474700001700493700002000510700001800530700002100548700002100569700002000590700002100610700002100631245012700652856005500779300000800834490000700842520139700849022001402246       2026                            d  c2026-09-0510aCancer10aImmunology10aOncology1 aJulius Thyen1 aVictor A. Sioson1 aDaniel Haak1 aBeatrix Jahnke1 aMaximilian Fusenig1 aAbdul M. Aftab1 aAntonia Stammberger1 aSascha Brückmann1 aHeike Polster1 aStefanie Hübner1 aVerena J. Kast1 aManuel Pfeifer1 aRebecca Prause1 aVivian Mittné1 aCarolin Beer1 aMalin H. Reinhart1 aAdrian M. Seifert1 aLena Seifert1 aMartin Bornhäuser1 aCarsten Werner1 aMarc Schmitz1 aDaniela E. Aust1 aJürgen Weitz1 aDaniela Loessner1 aDaniel E. Stange1 aAnna R. Poetsch1 aMathieu Pecqueux1 aFranziska Baenke00aA pancreatic cancer organoid-macrophage co-culture using starPEG-heparin hydrogel deciphers tumor-immune cell interactions  uhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41698-026-01678-6  a3430 v103 aMacrophages are among the most abundant immune cells in the pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) tumor microenvironment (TME) and play a key role in regulating the immunosuppressive niche that facilitates tumor growth. Although recent three-dimensional (3D) culture systems using patient-derived materials have advanced our understanding of tumor biology, most models lack key cellular TME components and thus fail to capture tumor-immune cell interactions. To address this gap, we developed an in-vitro 3D co-culture model incorporating PDAC patient-derived organoids (PDOs) and macrophages within a synthetic hydrogel matrix. We optimized culture conditions by tuning medium and matrix conditions to support both cell lineages. Flow cytometry and transcriptomic analyses revealed that initially undifferentiated macrophages adopt an M2-like profile upon exposure to PDAC PDOs in starPEG-heparin hydrogels, mirroring the macrophage phenotypes observed by multiplex immunohistochemistry in the matched primary PDAC tissues. Cytokine secretome profiling revealed PDO-specific differences, indicating distinct underlying macrophage polarization subtypes. Collectively, our starPEG-heparin hydrogel-based 3D co-culture enables hypothesis-driven and physiologically relevant studies of tumor-macrophage interactions and may advance immune-modulatory treatment strategies in patients with PDAC.  a2397-768X