What is Dr. Carl June's breakthrough in cancer research?

Dr. Carl June developed a revolutionary CAR-T cell therapy that has cured leukemia patients and led to FDA approval of multiple cancer treatments.

How did Dr. Carl June's military background help his cancer research?

Dr. Carl June's experience in the U.S. Navy gave him the skills to navigate hierarchical organizations and coordinate large teams, which were crucial for his cancer research.

What motivated Dr. Carl June to dedicate his career to cancer research?

The diagnosis of his first wife, Cynthia, with ovarian cancer in 1996 inspired Dr. Carl June to leave the Navy and join the University of Pennsylvania to find an immune-based cure for cancer.

Home / Health / Pioneering Cancer Researcher Develops Lifesaving Therapy Against All Odds

Pioneering Cancer Researcher Develops Lifesaving Therapy Against All Odds

17 Nov

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Summary

Researcher Dr. Carl June overcame funding challenges to develop CAR-T cell therapy
First 3 patients treated with the therapy are now cancer-free
June's work has led to FDA approval of multiple CAR-T cell treatments

In November 2025, Dr. Carl June, a renowned cancer researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, is celebrating a remarkable achievement. Just over a decade ago, in January 2011, June and his collaborator Dr. David Porter were on the verge of abandoning their groundbreaking work on a new cancer treatment due to a lack of funding.

The treatment, which involved genetically altering a patient's own T cells to fight the disease, had already shown remarkable success, with the first three patients in a clinical trial becoming cancer-free. However, the lab was running out of money and faced the prospect of having to let go of staff. Unwilling to give up, June and his team decided to take a chance and publish the initial results, hoping that the striking data would attract the necessary funding.

Their gamble paid off. The studies were published in prestigious medical journals, and within days, June received grant offers from the National Cancer Institute and other organizations. This marked a turning point, as June's Chimeric Antigen Receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapy went on to become the first gene therapy approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2017 for the treatment of leukemia.