2022 Research Briefings: Carl June, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine

Carl June, Richard W. Vague Professor in Immunotherapy, and Director, Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
June will share the discovery of CAR T cells, a promising new form of therapy of cancer that offers the prospect of curing cancer using the immune system. The notion of using the immune system to fight cancer is an old idea. Over a century ago bacteria were ground up and injected into patients with late-stage cancers. However, we now have precise tools like CRISPR/Cas9 to rewrite the DNA code, offering the possibility to improve the immune system over what has evolved in a Darwinian fashion. June will discuss the promises and challenges faced by the evolving CAR T cell industry. Elected in 2020, June represents the Academy's section on Immunology and Inflammation.