In 1979, hyaluronan was demonstrated to bind specifically and with high affinity to intact
cells (1), and in 1980, it was shown to enhance cell motility on two-dimensional culture
surfaces where the hydrodynamic properties of hyaluronan were not necessary to open
spaces for cells to move into (2). These two demonstrations raised the possibility that
hyaluronan had the potential to directly modify cell behavior. In 1989, hyaluronan was
shown to promote protein tyrosine phosphorylation cascades (3) that were later proven to be …