Scientists at Kyoto University unveiled a novel protein-based therapeutic, Crunch, engineered to redirect phagocytes to selectively engulf living, disease-causing cells. By replacing the natural 'eat-me' recognition domain of Protein S with cell-specific binding modules, Crunch efficiently tags target cells such as cancerous or autoimmune cells for elimination. This study, published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, demonstrates the potential of leveraging innate immune clearance mechanisms as adaptable therapies for a broad range of diseases.