USA

Carl H. June

2025 Balzan Prize for Gene and Gene-Modified Cell Therapy

For having invented and developed a genetically engineered cellular therapy (CAR-T cells) which has cured fatal haematological cancers and holds promise for the treatment of autoimmune diseases and solid tumors. His work has paved the way to a new realm of cellular therapy and synthetic biology with a broad impact in Medicine.

Carl June invented and developed a genetically modified cellular therapy which has cured patients with fatal haematological malignancies (leukaemias, lymphomas and myelomas). He developed chimeric antigen receptor bearing T cells (CAR-T cells) by genetically engineering three distinct modules: an extracellular target binding module, a transmembrane module that anchors the molecule into the cell membrane, and an intracellular signalling module that transmits activation signals. The incorporation of co-stimulatory properties within the antigen receptor itself proved to be a critical advance in the development of CAR-T cells. By developing adoptive cell therapy and creating chimeric T cells that redirect cytotoxic T cells to kill cancer cells, June has devised a fundamentally new strategy for treating cancer. CAR-T cells are the first therapy predicated on cell engineering using the principles of synthetic biology to enter the practice of medicine.

The discovery and development of CAR-T cells have had a broad impact in medicine. The work of Carl June spurred a wave of academic and industrial efforts to generate new versions of engineered T cells. Carl June himself contributed to these refinements by developing CAR-T cells which produce cytokines to activate other cells of the immune system. The principle he invented is being used to genetically engineer other cell types such as macrophages, NK cells and CIK cells.

The impact of his contribution extends beyond the treatment of haematologic malignancies. Engineered and targeted CAR-T cells hold promise to contribute to the treatment of some solid cancers. Moreover, there is promise that CAR-T cells may be useful in the therapy of autoimmune diseases such as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus by resetting the immune system. Thus, the pioneering work of Carl June has paved the way for the entry of synthetic biology and cellular therapies in the medical armamentarium.