A newly published study in Engineering lays out glycocalyx engineering strategies to improve adoptive cell therapies targeting B-cell lymphoma. The paper focuses on overcoming recurring limitations in ACTs—high manufacturing costs and limited antigen specificity—by modifying the cell surface environment that governs tumor interaction. By detailing live-cell glycocalyx engineering techniques, the work frames a way to tune how engineered cells traffic, engage, and function in the tumor microenvironment. The report emphasizes actionable engineering approaches rather than only conceptual rationale. For the broader ACT field, glycocalyx-focused design could become a lever to improve performance without changing the underlying cellular modality, potentially supporting next-generation differentiation in pipeline development.