The 2022 Keio Medical Science Prize Awardees

Carl H. June, M.D.

Richard W. Vague Professor in Immunotherapy
Director, Center for Cellular Immunotherapies
Director, Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy
University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine

Website
http://www.med.upenn.edu/junelab/

Reason for Selection

“Development of CAR-T Cell Therapy as a Novel Immunotherapeutic Strategy”

Dr. Carl June has pioneered the clinical application of CAR-T cell therapy, a new class of personalized immunotherapy for cancer and infectious diseases. CAR-T cell therapy uses genetically engineered T cells to produce chimeric antigen receptors (CARs). Dr. June has elucidated the role of the co-stimulatory molecule CD28 in T cell proliferation and, by expressing the CAR in combination with co-stimulatory molecules, has advanced CAR-T cell therapy to a practical level for antigen-specific and potent cytotoxic activity. CAR-T cell therapy has demonstrated breakthrough efficacy in the treatment of refractory acute leukemia, which does not respond to conventional therapies. CAR-T cell therapy has been approved in many countries worldwide and has become an established treatment method in clinical practice. Dr. June's achievements in laying the foundation for further development of new therapeutic strategies through the clinical development of CAR-T cell therapy make him deserving of the Keio Medical Science Prize 2022.

Background

Education

1975: B.S.(Biology) United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland, USA
1979: M.D.(Medicine) Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
1985: Postdoctoral Fellow (Oncology/Immunology) Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Washington

Position

1978-1979: Research Fellow, World Health Organization Immunology Research and Training Center, Geneva, Switzerland
1979-1980: Internship: Basic Medicine, National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
1980-1982: Teaching Fellow, Department of Medicine, Uniformed Services, University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland
1980-1982: Residency: Internal Medicine, National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland
1982-1983: Instructor, Department of Medicine, Uniformed Services University
1982-1983: Chief Resident: Internal Medicine, National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland
1983-1985: Fellow in Oncology, University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington
1986-1990: Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Uniformed Services
1990-1995: Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, Uniformed Services
1995-1999: Professor, Department of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
1999-2001: Professor of Molecular and Cellular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
2001-present: Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
2004-present: Professor of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
2015-present: Director, Center for Cellular Immunotherapies at the University of Pennsylvania
2016-present: Director, Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at the University of Pennsylvania

Major Honors/Awards

2015: Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize (shared with J. Allison)
2016: Novartis Prize in Immunology (shared with Z. Eshhar and S. Rosenberg)
2017: Karnofsky Prize from the American Society of Clinical Oncology
2020: Lorraine Cross Sanford Health Award
2021: Dan David Prize from Tel Aviv University

Comments

On behalf of my team at the University of Pennsylvania, I am humbled to accept the Keio Medical Science Prize in recognition of the development of chimeric antigen receptor T cells for cancer therapy. I am grateful that studies of applications of this technology beyond cancer -- for chronic infections, organ transplantation and autoimmune diseases -- are now underway in clinical trials on a global basis to treat patients in need.

Yoshihiro Kawaoka

Director, Research Center for Global Viral Diseases, National Center for Global Health and Medicine Research Institute
Project Professor, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo

Reason for Selection

“Understanding Viral Pathogenicity for the Control of Pandemic Infectious Diseases”

Dr. Yoshihiro Kawaoka has developed a revolutionary technology for the artificial synthesis of influenza viruses. By synthesizing influenza viruses on demand, he succeeded in clarifying their mechanisms of infection and propagation, as well as the acquisition of high virulence and drug resistance at the molecular and cellular levels. Furthermore, he has contributed to the development of new vaccines against novel influenza viruses through the artificial synthesis of viruses. He has also made extensive contributions to pandemic control against the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV2), including evaluation of the pathogenicity of various variants and their reactivity to drugs and the development of animal models of infection.

Background

Education

1978: B.S., Hokkaido University, Japan (Veterinary Medicine)
1978: D.V.M., The Ministry of Agriculture and Fishery, Japan
1980: M.S., Hokkaido University, Japan (Microbiology)
1983: Ph.D., Hokkaido University, Japan (Microbiology)

Positions

1980-1983: Research Associate, Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, Tottori University, Japan
1983-1996: Postdoctoral Fellow, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Tennessee, USA
1996-1997: Member, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Tennessee, USA
1997-present: Professor, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin, USA
1999-2005: Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Japan
2005-2021: Director, International Research Center for Infectious Diseases, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Japan
2021-present: Project Professor, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo
2021-present: Director, Research Center for Global Viral Diseases, National Center for Global Health and Medicine Research Institute

Major Honors/Awards

2006: Robert Koch Prize (with Peter Palese)
2011: Medal with Purple Ribbon
2013: Member of the United States National Academy of Sciences
2015: Carlos J. Finlay Prize for Microbiology
2016: Japan Academy Prize

Comments

It is my honor to receive the Keio Medical Science Prize and follow in the footsteps of previous awardees whose world-class work I have admired. My selection for this award is humbling, and only made possible thanks to the relentless efforts of past and present members of my laboratories and my collaborators. I am also indebted to the funding agencies and their officers, the personnel at the business offices of my institutions, and my colleagues for their constant support. The COVID pandemic has, and continues to have, devastating effects on public health and economies globally. It is a stark reminder that infectious diseases will always be a threat. I hope to make a lasting contribution to society by working to reduce the burden caused by infectious diseases.

Past Prize Laureates