The sixth annual Harrington Prize for Innovation in Medicine has been awarded to Carl June, the Richard W. Vague Professor in Immunotherapy in the department of pathology and laboratory medicine at Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine.

The Harrington Prize for Innovation in Medicine, established in 2014 by the Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals (UH) in Cleveland, Ohio, and The American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI), honors physician-scientists who have moved science forward with achievements notable for innovation, creativity and potential for clinical application.

Dr. June is being recognized for advancing the clinical application of CAR T therapy for cancer treatment, and for his sustained contributions to the field. CAR T cells are cancer-fighting T cells modified in the lab to bind and attack cancer cells more effectively. Dr. June has developed new strategies for treating cancer with CAR T therapy and robust culture systems that have enabled CAR T clinical trials. The CAR T cells invented in Dr. June’s lab were awarded “Breakthrough Therapy” status by the Food and Drug Administration for acute leukemia in children and adults in 2014.