2024 Edition
Professor
Carl H. June
June, who began his research on the study of the CD28 molecule in the 80s as the main T-cell control switch, is considered the pioneer and father of CAR-T therapy. He led the development of the first CAR T cell therapy, approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) in 2017, and known by the generic name of tisagenlecleucel (trade name Kymriah, of Novartis).
Jury Decision
In addition to this scientific finding of global relevance, his research continues to translate into other important clinical areas, as scientists are now working to apply this treatment to other solid neoplasms, autoimmune pathologies (such as lupus) and many other non-oncological diseases. The development of CAR T cell therapy is one of the most relevant medical-scientific advances of our time, comparable to the discovery of antibiotics, chemotherapy, or genetic research.
Six different CAR T cell therapies are now approved in the United States to treat various forms of blood cancers, including certain lymphomas, leukemias and myelomas. In the pediatric setting, Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) is the most common type of leukemia and 60% of those affected are under 20 years of age. In the case of adults, the leukemia in 30% of cases is Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL). It generally affects people over 65 years of age, a relevant aspect given the trend of increasing life expectancy and ageing of the population. Nowadays, 85% of paediatric patients receiving CAR-T immunotherapy treatment respond to treatment, a figure that reaches 50 to 70% in the case of adults.
The 2024 ABARCA PRIZE laureate is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and the Baylor College of Medicine who began his career at Bethesda Naval Hospital before establishing his laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania in 1999.
