Cancer is a case of betrayal. A cell that once cooperated with other tissues turns traitor, stealing nutrients to propagate itself. The fact that tumor cells are largely identical to normal cells makes recognizing such Benedict Arnolds extremely difficult.

David Raulet ... researches how lymphocytes called natural killer (NK) and T cells distinguish between healthy and compromised tissues. He is identifying which cellular signals goad NK and T cells to attack, and how modulating the production of these triggers could help the body heal itself from cancer, infection, and even chronic inflammatory diseases.

NK (natural killer) cells were first identified for their ability to spontaneously destroy tumor cells. “NK cells seemed hardwired to recognize cancer cells, but no one knew how they did this,” Raulet says.

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