Carl June

Carl June. He is an American immunologist and oncologist renowned for his pioneering work in adoptive cell transfer and the clinical development of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. His research at the University of Pennsylvania led to a transformative treatment for certain leukemias and lymphomas, fundamentally changing the landscape of cancer immunotherapy. June is a professor at the Perelman School of Medicine and director of the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies.

Early life and education

Born in Oakland, Nebraska, June developed an early interest in science. He completed his undergraduate studies in biology at Baylor University, graduating in 1975. He then earned his Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) from the University of Chicago in 1979. Following medical school, he completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at the University of Washington and a fellowship in medical oncology at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

Career and research

June began his career as a physician-scientist in the United States Navy, serving at the Naval Medical Research Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, where he conducted foundational research on T cells and HIV/AIDS. In 1999, he joined the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania, where he has spent the majority of his career. His laboratory focuses on mechanisms of lymphocyte activation and the engineering of immune cells to treat cancer and infectious diseases. A key early collaboration was with Steven A. Rosenberg at the National Cancer Institute, exploring similar immunotherapeutic strategies.

CAR T-cell therapy

June's most significant contribution is the clinical translation of CAR T-cell therapy. His team's groundbreaking work, often in collaboration with the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, led to the successful treatment of a young patient with refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2010. This therapy involves genetically modifying a patient's own T cells to express a chimeric antigen receptor that targets the CD19 protein on B cell malignancies. The dramatic results of this and subsequent trials led to the first FDA approvals for CAR T-cell therapies, such as tisagenlecleucel (Kymriah), developed in partnership with Novartis. His work has inspired a global expansion of research in cell therapy for other cancers and diseases.

Awards and honors

June has received numerous prestigious awards for his transformative research. These include the Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize in 2022, the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences in 2024, and the Japan Prize in 2024. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has also been honored with the Albany Medical Center Prize and the Massry Prize, and delivered distinguished lectures such as the Karnofsky Award lecture at the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Personal life

June is married and has children. He has spoken publicly about the personal motivation for his work, citing the loss of his first wife to ovarian cancer. An avid pilot, he holds a private pilot's license. He maintains an active role in mentoring the next generation of scientists and clinicians at the University of Pennsylvania and continues to advocate for the advancement of cellular therapy.

Category:American immunologists Category:American oncologists Category:University of Pennsylvania faculty Category:1953 births Category:Living people