Scientists at Kyoto University's iCeMS unveiled 'Crunch,' a synthetic protein that reprograms the body's phagocytes to selectively remove harmful living cells such as cancerous or overactive immune cells. By modifying Protein S to target specific cell surface proteins, Crunch links unwanted cells to phagocytes for engulfment and clearance. The findings, published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, present a novel therapeutic strategy exploiting natural immune waste removal mechanisms for disease treatment.