PHILADELPHIA -- The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and the Cancer Research Institute (CRI) will recognize Carl H. June, MD, the Richard W. Vague professor in immunotherapy at the Perelman School of Medicine and director of the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, with the third annual AACR-CRI Lloyd J. Old Award in Cancer Immunology at the AACR Annual Meeting 2015, to be held in Philadelphia, April 18-22.
June is being recognized for his important contributions to cancer immunology, specifically his pioneering efforts related to the development of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. His work with CAR T-cell therapy has significantly enhanced the promise of cancer immunotherapy. For example, a CD19-targeted CAR T cell therapy developed by June and his team was recently licensed by Novartis, and the investigational therapy, now called CTL019, has received breakthrough therapy designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of relapsed and refractory adult and pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). This work will not only have a profound impact on the treatment of leukemia but is paving the way for the development of CAR T therapies for other types of cancer.
He will present his lecture, "CAR T cells: Can We Move Beyond B cells?" Tuesday, April 21, 5:30 p.m. ET, in the Grand Ballroom of the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
The AACR-CRI Lloyd J. Old Award in Cancer Immunology was established in 2013 in honor of the late Lloyd J. Old, MD, who is considered the "Father of Modern Tumor Immunology." Old's outstanding research in the field of cancer immunology, as well as his decades of leadership in fostering the field, had a widespread influence on cancer research. The award is intended to recognize an active cancer immunologist who, like Old, has done outstanding and innovative research in cancer immunology that has had a far-reaching impact on the field.
June, who is an active AACR member and a senior editor of Cancer Immunology Research, has been recognized with numerous honors throughout his career, including the Taubman Prize for Excellence in Translational Medical Science, the Karl Landsteiner Memorial Award from the American Association of Blood Banks, the Steinman Award for Human Immunology Research from the American Association of Immunologists, the Richard V. Smalley Award from the Society of Immunotherapy of Cancer, the Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize (shared with James Allison), the Legion of Merit from the U.S. Navy, and election to the Institute of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Prior to joining the University of Pennsylvania in 1999, June had been a professor in the Department of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland.
A graduate of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, June served as a U.S. Navy Medical Officer from 1975 to 1996. He received his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and completed a research fellowship in immunology with the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland and a fellowship in oncology at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. June performed his internship and residency at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda.
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About the American Association for Cancer Research
Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world's oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR membership includes more than 35,000 laboratory, translational, and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in 101 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 25 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with over 18,500 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes eight peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients, and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration, and scientific oversight of team science and individual grants in cancer research that have the potential for near-term patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer. For more information about the AACR, visit http://www.AACR.org.
About the Cancer Research Institute
The Cancer Research Institute (CRI), a nonprofit established in 1953, is the global leader in cancer immunology and immunotherapy. Since its inception, CRI has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to support research conducted by more than 3,000 scientists and clinicians worldwide to understand the immune system and how it can be harnessed to conquer all cancers. This work has laid the foundation for nearly every major cancer immunotherapy breakthrough over the past half century. Guided by an international panel of the world's leading immunologists and cancer immunologists, including three Nobel laureates and 26 members of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, CRI provides essential funding to support every stage of discovery, from laboratory investigation to clinical trials of the most promising cancer immunotherapies for patients. CRI also sponsors a seminal international symposium on cancer immunology each year, forges collaborative partnerships between academia and industry to facilitate the development pathway for novel immunotherapeutics, presents special recognition awards to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to cancer research, patient care and public awareness. Through its sustaining support and leadership in the field, CRI is accelerating the development of safe and effective immunotherapies that stand to revolutionize the treatment of all cancers. For more information, visit http://cancerresearch.org or follow CRI on Twitter @CancerResearch.