Cancer’s toughest strongholds – solid tumours like those in the lung, liver, and pancreas – have long outwitted modern medicine. But what if the key to defeating them was already inside us – just hidden hero in plain sight? Using powerful AI to peer into cancer at single-cell resolution, CUHK researchers have discovered a previously unknown immune cell that can naturally hunt down and destroy solid tumours from within – a feat where conventional treatments fail. Even more remarkably, the team has developed a way to manufacture these “Super” immune cells from a patient’s blood, potentially opening the door to a brave new world of safe, fast-acting, cancer-bashing immunotherapy.

The CUHK research group led by Professor Tony Mok Shu-kam has decoded the common mutated genes in lung cancer and developed targeted therapies that have successfully increased patients’ lifespans. These innovative therapies redefined global paradigms in lung cancer treatment, providing patients with fresh hope. Professor Mok has established himself as one of the leading oncologists of the world, with his work on targeted EGFR inhibitors marking a significant milestone in the use of immunotherapy.