Overview

• Kyoto University’s iCeMS team describes Crunch in Nature Biomedical Engineering as a synthetic, injectable protein designed to eliminate specific unwanted cells.
• Crunch was engineered by replacing Protein S’s phosphatidylserine-binding domain with interchangeable sensors that bind chosen surface proteins on target cells.
• Rather than killing cells directly, the protein labels living targets to link them with phagocytes, which then engulf and remove them.
• In mouse models, researchers cleared engineered cancer cells and selected immune cells in a lupus model, reporting removal of the targets and reduced disease signs.
• The group is refining the platform for safety, manufacturability, and effectiveness, and they note potential customization using targeting elements derived from antibodies or CAR‑T designs.