My absolute favourite piece at home is by my lovely Sepideh. It’s not just because she’s my best friend — her art really does stand on its own. She has this incredible way of blending her science background with her creativity, turning complex ideas into something you can actually feel and connect to.

The piece I have is based on how Oxytocin, the “love hormone,” looks under a microscope — an explosion of colour that feels alive, full of emotion and great energy.

What I love most about her work is how she makes you see science differently — not as something dry or complicated, but as something vibrant, human, and inspiring. Every piece she creates is like a little bridge between knowledge and feeling. My brave artist even takes on subjects like cancer, as if her eyes can find colour and meaning in everything, even in things we usually think of as dark or frightening. That’s what makes her art so unique: she reveals the hidden beauty in places most of us would never think to look.

My name is Prof Nicholas Huntington, and I am the co-founder and CSO of AUDAX Pty Ltd. I am driven by a profound commitment to improving the lives of people affected by cancer. With a deep-rooted fascination for the immune system, my work explores how the body’s natural defences — particularly natural killer (NK) cells and cytokine networks — can be harnessed to fight cancer more effectively. What fuels my research is not only scientific curiosity but a strong desire to translate discovery into tangible impact, bringing new immune-based therapies from the lab to the clinic. AUDAX, formerly oNKo-Innate had several programs dedicated to NK cells, an immune cell that can spontaneously recognize and destroy cancer cells. We commissioned some artwork from Sepideh for our office to highlight the breathtaking evolution that led to what we refer to as NK cells. Speideh’s painting encapsulates the natural beauty that millions of years of our immune system fighting off pathogens and malignant cells and evolving to create such a fascinating and sophisticated immune defence mechanism that protects us all. Personally, cancer research is part intellectual challenge, part creativity & art and part a deeply personal mission — shaped by the urgency to reduce human suffering and the belief that smarter, more precise therapies can transform outcomes for patients worldwide.

“Activation” is a beautiful combination of science and art. As a cancer and Immunotherapy researcher I couldn’t think of a more perfect piece to be hanging in a prominent place in my home. I gaze up and admire it not only for its artistic beauty and colour but it’s clever nod to science and its hidden meaning. Lovely artwork even lovelier artist. Thank you Sep for all your hard work, your passion and your talent.