Carl June

Dr. Carl H. June is recognized for pioneering chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, an approach that has significantly influenced cancer immunotherapy. June holds the Richard W. Vague Professorship in Immunotherapy in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He serves as director of the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies at the Perelman School of Medicine and director of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at the University of Pennsylvania.

A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and Baylor College of Medicine, June completed graduate training in immunology and malaria at the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, and postdoctoral training in transplantation biology at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

June invented and developed a genetically modified cellular therapy that has led to remission in patients with hematological malignancies such as leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. He developed CAR-T cells by engineering three distinct modules: an extracellular target binding module, a transmembrane module, and an intracellular signaling module, with the integration of co-stimulatory properties within the antigen receptor itself representing a critical advancement. This work is the result of decades of research, from early efforts at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, to clinical trials at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. June has described the development of CAR-T cell therapy as a "20-year overnight sensation."

A significant milestone in June's career occurred when his team treated Emily Whitehead, the first child to receive CAR T-cell therapy on an experimental basis, resulting in remission of her acute lymphoblastic leukemia. When Whitehead developed a life-threatening cytokine storm, June proposed using tocilizumab, a drug originally designed for rheumatoid arthritis, which proved effective and later became a standard treatment for cytokine release syndrome. The therapy, known as CTL019 and later as tisagenlecleucel, received FDA approval for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Since then, more than 40,000 patients worldwide have been treated with commercial CAR-T cell therapies, many achieving remission from previously refractory cancers.

June's contributions have been recognized with honors such as inclusion in TIME 100 for his work on CAR T-cell therapy for cancers like leukemia and lymphoma. He received the AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research and shared the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences with Michel Sadelain for work on CAR T-cell therapy. June was also jointly awarded the Richard N. Merkin Prize in Biomedical Technology for developing CAR T-cell therapy, which has led to durable remissions in patients with previously incurable blood cancers. He has been elected to the Institute of Medicine, the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society.

June's research continues to drive advancements in next-generation CAR T cells for solid tumors and autoimmune diseases, with CAR T cells for leukemia now demonstrating efficacy in multiple autoimmune conditions. The June laboratory has produced more than 500 publications, with significant citation impact. His work has contributed to the integration of synthetic biology and cellular therapies into medical practice, establishing June as a leading figure in cancer immunotherapy, translational research, and cellular therapy innovation.