How Scientists Are Teaching Immune Cells to Fight Cancer Better

Daniel Davis, a researcher at Imperial College London, has spent more than twenty years studying how the immune system kills cancer cells. His work is now helping drug companies like Bristol Myers Squibb develop new cancer treatments based on boosting a specific type of immune cell called a natural killer cell.

At a recent talk at WIRED Health, Davis showed how his lab uses powerful microscopes to watch immune cells in action. Think of it like watching a security guard approach a criminal — the immune cell has to get close enough to make contact and signal that it's time to attack.

The Key Discovery

Davis's breakthrough was realizing that the exact position of molecules on the immune cell surface matters enormously. When those molecules are arranged in the right way, the immune cell gets the signal to kill a cancer cell. Get the arrangement wrong, and nothing happens.

This might sound abstract, but it changes how scientists design cancer drugs. For decades, researchers focused on finding the right target on cancer cells to attack. Davis showed that the geometry of the immune cell side matters just as much.

What the Lab Is Doing Now

In 2024, Davis's team published two new studies. One showed how tweaking molecules at the nano scale — incredibly tiny adjustments invisible to the human eye — can make natural killer cells more effective at killing cancer. The other study found that a natural inflammatory chemical called prostaglandin E₂ interferes with these immune cells, suggesting doctors might block this chemical while also boosting the cells themselves.

Both studies are part of his partnership with Bristol Myers Squibb, the pharmaceutical company.

Why Natural Killer Cells Matter

Most cancer immunotherapies in use today rely on T cells, another type of immune cell. But some cancers have learned to hide from T cells. Natural killer cells are different — they don't need the traditional "password" that T cells look for. They can spot and attack cancer cells that have evolved defenses against other immune approaches.

Davis's research explains how to make these cells even better at their job.

How He Got Here

Davis has written over 130 scientific papers that other scientists have cited more than 11,000 times. In 2018, he wrote a book called "The Beautiful Cure: The Revolution in Immunology and What It Means for Your Health," which major newspapers named Book of the Year.

The way his career has progressed is actually a familiar pattern in biotechnology. A scientist makes a foundational discovery in the lab. Other researchers then study the detailed mechanics of how it works. Eventually, drug companies take those findings and turn them into treatments that patients can receive. Davis's journey from studying immune cell structure at Harvard University to working with pharmaceutical partners is a textbook example of this progression.

The Bigger Picture

The technology Davis uses — advanced microscopes that can watch cells in real time at incredibly small scales — didn't exist for most of his career. This kind of imaging is what makes detailed studies of immune cells possible in the first place.

The pharmaceutical industry has invested heavily in natural killer cell therapies because earlier approaches like checkpoint inhibitors have worked well for some patients but not others. Companies are looking for the next generation of cancer immunotherapy, and NK cells appear to be part of the answer.

The Bristol Myers Squibb partnership suggests that the findings from Davis's lab are promising enough for a major drug maker to bet significant resources on turning them into actual treatments. Whether that bet pays off will depend on whether what works in microscope images translates to helping patients with cancer. That is always the hard part.