Awarded the 18th BBVA Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Biology and Biomedicine, Professor Carl June discusses in this interview his pioneering work in immunotherapy and engineered T-cell therapies. June explains how his research has helped develop innovative treatments that harness the immune system to fight cancer, transforming the therapeutic landscape for diseases that were once difficult to treat. He reflects on the journey from fundamental research to clinical breakthroughs, the challenges of translating scientific discoveries into practical medical applications, and the importance of collaboration across disciplines in advancing biomedical science. Throughout the conversation, June highlights both the promise and complexity of cellular therapies as a frontier of modern medicine.
The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Biology and Biomedicine has gone in this eighteent
Awarded the 18th BBVA Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Biology and Biomedicine, Professor Carl June discusses in this interview his pioneering work in immunotherapy and engineered T-cell therapies. June explains how his research has helped develop innovative treatments that harness the immune system to fight cancer, transforming the therapeutic landscape for diseases that were once difficult to treat. He reflects on the journey from fundamental research to clinical breakthroughs, the challenges of translating scientific discoveries into practical medical applications, and the importance of collaboration across disciplines in advancing biomedical science. Throughout the conversation, June highlights both the promise and complexity of cellular therapies as a frontier of modern medicine.
The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Biology and Biomedicine has gone in this eighteenth edition to Carl H. June (University of Pennsylvania) and Michel Sadelain (Columbia University) for revolutionizing the treatment of cancer by means of CAR-T cell immunotherapy
00:00 Introduction
00:15 Could you explain what CAR-T cells are and how your basic research revealed their therapeutic potential to treat cancer?
01:03 How did you first become interested in this field and what motivated you to carry out this research?
02:01 At the level of clinical applications, what has been demonstrated so far about the potential of these therapies to treat blood cancer and how many patients have already benefited from them?
02:46 To what extent has it been shown that CAR-T cell therapies could also be effective against solid tumors and when do you foresee that this could also benefit patients who suffer from lung, breast, colon, pancreatic or brain cancer?
03:46 What has been demonstrated up to now about the potential of these therapies for autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases, and other disorders?
