Dr. Carl June, ACGT Research Fellow, CAR T Cells overview

Carl June MD
Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PADirector, Translational Research Professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, ACGT Research Fellow

In 2004 there was a request for applications and the ACGT led by Barbara and Edward Netter gave us $1 million dollars at the University of Pennsylvania to test CAR T cells.
That had a tremendous impact. What it did was allow us to treat 3 patients. And as I understand it, some of those patients will be here tonight, 8 years after we treated them.
You know I think that is where research would make the difference, where ACGT can make a huge difference, by accelerating this knowledge, for all cancers, because that’s where we are now. We have the scientific tool-box but we don’t yet know how you combine A, B and C in each case, for each cancer.
And that’s where we’re at. I think it is really optimistic now to be able to say that for pediatric and adult cancers, we can see that and its how long it will take to make it materialize.