Tisagenlecleucel

MANHASSET, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research has selected Carl H. June, MD, from the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, and Michel Sadelain, MD, PhD, from Columbia University, to receive the 13th annual Ross Prize in Molecular Medicine. The Prize will be presented on June 11, in conjunction with The New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS), at The Cure, 345 Park Ave. S in Manhattan. The award ceremony will be part of a half-day research symposium. Registration information for the in-person and virtual event is available here. The awardees are being recognized for their pioneering work developing CAR T-cell therapy for treatment of cancer. The Ross Prize is made possible by the generosity of Feinstein Institutes board vice chairman Jack Ross and his wife, Robin, assistant vice president of principal gifts at the Northwell Foundation. Established in 2013, the Ross Prize is awarded annually through the Feinstein Institutes’ peer-reviewed, open-access journal Molecular Medicine. The endowed prize includes a $50,000 award for the recipient and is presented to investigators whose research shows high potential for transforming how to treat and cure disease. “As pioneers in cellular immunotherapy, Drs. June and Sadelain’s individual work revolutionized the field of T-cell engineering, transforming cancer treatment,” said Kevin J. Tracey, MD, president and CEO of the Feinstein Institutes, Karches Family Distinguished Chair in Medical Research and editor emeritus of Molecular Medicine. “Their trailblazing research, which harnesses the body’s immune cells as living drugs, paved the way for effective, FDA-approved therapies and offers immense hope for patients battling various forms of cancer.” Dr. June is an immunologist and cancer researcher, who holds the Richard W. Vague Professorship in Immunotherapy at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine. He serves as the director of both the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies and the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Penn. A globally recognized pioneer in immunotherapy, Dr. June is most widely known for his research on T-cell therapies for cancer. His laboratory identified the CD28 molecule as a key T-cell control switch and demonstrated the long-term engraftment and persistence of genetically modified CAR-T cells in HIV/AIDS patients. This foundational work culminated in 2011 with the development of CAR T-cell therapy, a revolutionary therapy using a patient’s own genetically engineered T cells to treat refractory leukemias, a breakthrough that led directly to the development and commercialization of tisagenlecleucel, which in 2017 became the first FDA-approved cell and gene therapy. “I am honored and grateful to be recognized at this year’s Ross Prize, which celebrates our collective journey in harnessing T cells to transform cancer treatment and inspires us to continue innovating for patients,” said Dr. June. “This recognition fuels our commitment to continue pushing the boundaries of cellular immunotherapy for those battling life-threatening diseases.” Dr. Sadelain is a globally recognized pioneer in cell engineering and cell therapy, widely known for developing the concept of CD19 CAR therapy. Dr. Sadelain is the Herbert and Florence Irving Professor of Medicine at Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, where he directs the Columbia Initiative in Cell Engineering and Therapy (CICET). His research established the foundation for CAR-T therapy, which genetically engineers a patient’s own T cells into living drugs for cancer treatment. He notably designed and named “chimeric antigen receptors” and identified CD19 as an ideal target. His team initiated the first clinical trial targeting CD19 for refractory leukemias in 2007. This pivotal work directly contributed to the 2017 FDA approval of the first CAR-T therapies for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia and lymphomas, ushering in a new era of cell-based medicine. Dr. Sadelain’s lab continues to advance CAR-T therapies for broader applications in cancer and other diseases, while also contributing significantly to globin gene therapy research for monogenic blood disorders. “Receiving this prestigious award is a deep honor, recognizing our foundational work in T cell engineering and CAR therapy and its profound clinical impact, and motivating us to further advance cell-based medicines,” said Dr. Sadelain. “This honor reinforces the immense value of our mission and inspires us to relentlessly pursue further innovations in cell-based therapies.” Following a brief award presentation, Drs. June and Sadelain will deliver a keynote address discussing their respective research. The symposium will feature presentations by other prominent scientists in related fields, including Isabelle Riviere, PhD, from Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Jim Riley, PhD, from University of Pennsylvania, and Chrystal Paulos, PhD, from Emory University School of Medicine. “We are inspired by the remarkable achievements of Drs. June and Sadelain,” said Mr. Ross. “Their groundbreaking research in cellular immunotherapy has transformed the lives of countless individuals battling cancer, offering hope and revolutionizing treatment paradigms.” Ross Prize recipients continue to make breakthroughs in their respective fields. Last year, Jeffery W. Kelly, PhD, was awarded for his research studying protein folding, misfolding and aggregation to develop novel therapeutic strategies for amyloid diseases. To learn more about the Ross Prize celebration and symposium, please visit: Northwell.edu/RossPrize. Past recipients of the Ross Prize are: Jeffery W. Kelly, PhD, H. Lutcher Brown Professor of Chemistry at Scripps University, Michelle Monje, MD, PhD, professor of Pediatric Neuro-Oncology in the Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences at Stanford University, Helen H. Hobbs, MD, Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, director of the Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth (Dallas, Texas) and Jonathan C. Cohen, PhD, professor of Internal Medicine, Center for Human Nutrition and Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development; Katalin Karikó, PhD, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine adjunct professor and senior vice president at BioNTech and Drew Weissman, MD, PhD, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine Roberts Family Professor of Vaccine Research; Adrian R. Krainer, PhD, Cold Spring Harbor (New York) Laboratory professor; Daniel Kastner, MD, PhD, the National Institutes of Health’s National Human Genome Research Institute (Bethesda, MD) scientific director; Huda Y. Zoghbi, MD, professor, Departments of Pediatrics, Molecular and Human Genetics, Neurology and Neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, TX); Jeffrey V. Ravetch, MD, PhD, the Theresa and Eugene M. Lang Professor and head of the Leonard Wagner Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Immunology at The Rockefeller University in Manhattan; Charles N. Serhan, PhD, DSc, director of the Center for Experimental Therapeutics and Reperfusion Injury at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the Simon Gelman Professor of Anaesthesia at Harvard (MA) Medical School and professor at Harvard School of Dental Medicine; Lewis C. Cantley, PhD, the Meyer Director of the Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medical College and New York-Presbyterian Hospital; John J. O'Shea, MD, scientific director at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (Bethesda, MD); and Dan R. Littman, MD, PhD, the Helen L. and Martin S. Kimmel Professor of Molecular Immunology in the Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine at New York University School of Medicine. About the Feinstein Institutes The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is the home of the research institutes of Northwell Health, the largest health care provider and private employer in New York State. Encompassing 50+ research labs, 3,000 clinical research studies and 5,000 researchers and staff, the Feinstein Institutes raises the standard of medical innovation through its six institutes of behavioral science, bioelectronic medicine, cancer, health system science, molecular medicine, and translational research. We are the global scientific leader in bioelectronic medicine – an innovative field of science that has the potential to revolutionize medicine. The Feinstein Institutes publishes two open-access, international peer-reviewed journals Molecular Medicine and Bioelectronic Medicine. Through the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine, we offer an accelerated PhD program. For more information about how we produce knowledge to cure disease, visit http://feinstein.northwell.edu and follow us on LinkedIn.