This painting was commissioned by a cancer researcher in the United States. I am deeply honoured that the artwork was created as a gift for a distinguished professor of cancer immunotherapy whose pioneering discoveries have laid the foundation for many treatments that harness the immune system to fight cancer.

The painting depicts a powerful interaction between a cancer cell (blue) and a T cell (red). By blocking inhibitory signals that normally suppress immune activity, T cells can become activated and attack cancer cells. As cancer cells die through a process known as apoptosis, they undergo characteristic changes, including the formation of small membrane blebs that eventually break away and are cleared by other immune cells.

This work was inspired by a combination of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images and scientific visualizations of cancer and immune cells from Science Photo Library.

Acrylic on canvas, 40 x 50 x 4 cm (16 × 20 × 1.5 in, approx.). Finished with a satin varnish for UV protection and long-term preservation.