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As entries for the 2024 awards are beginning to come in, we’re fondly looking back at the first awards celebration, and the significance of the first Phacilitate Lifetime Achievement Award.
In January 2023, the Phacilitate community of advanced therapies industry experts awarded Dr Carl June a Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing Dr June’s commitment and dedication to developing, delivering, and advancing CAR-T cell therapies.
A heralded pioneer within the immunotherapy field, the story of CAR-T extends beyond 20 years in the making, from the early days of supporting research into the CD28 molecule as the major control switch for T cells and later testing the application of genetically modified CAR-T cells in HIV/AIDS patients, to treating the very first cancer patients with CAR-T cells from 2010.
In describing the story of CAR-T for a Phacilitate interview (included below), Dr June explained:
“We had no idea where our project would lead or any impact it may have. When we began, we thought, really, it was an academic experiment to see if we could genetically modify an immune system. We began in HIV/AIDS patients, and with my long-term college, Bruce Levine, we were able to show that CAR-T cells could take root in the patients and proliferate for years and years. So that was an academic proof of concept, but then the actual technology worked much better in cancer patients, which is a rare event where something works better in humans that it does in mice. But that’s what happened, and that led to this amazing FDA approval and now a large cell in gene therapy industry.”
Tom Whitehead presented the award to Dr June to a standing ovation, explaining that:
“What I learned when I learned Carl’s story is he can take something that’s like the most horrible thing that happens in your life and turn it into something positive.”
The sentiments shared by Tom, the judging panel and Dr June’s colleagues invited to participate in a compilation video – an extended ‘Director’s Cut version of which is included at the top of this post – reflected the driving force of this industry, in that everyone in this space is ultimately working to get these therapies to patients.
Dr June’s acceptance speech along with his interview and the contributions from his patients and their families act as a stark reminder of the real-world impact this level of commitment and determination to developing and delivering advanced therapies to patients can have. As Tom affirmed:
“When they saved Emily’s life, they saved our entire family. And now, the doctors that saved her life are part of our family.”
While the Lifetime Achievement Award celebrates the commitment and dedication over an entire career to date, additional awards categories further celebrate important advances, achievements and initiatives within specific areas of focus, all together providing accolades to individuals and organizations committed to progressing advanced therapies to patient delivery.
The 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award winner has been confirmed and is yet to be announced, but nominations are open for all other categories until September 22, 2023. If you or your organization has something to celebrate, we invite you to join us at the only awards celebration to honor progress and success in advanced therapies. Good luck!
To find out more about the Advanced Therapies Awards and to enter, click here >>
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