Name: A "living drug" that could change the way we treat cancer
Uploaded: 2019-09-10T14:53:50Z
Duration: 15 min
Description: Carl June is the pioneer behind CAR T-cell therapy: a groundbreaking cancer treatment that supercharges part of a patient's own immune system to attack and kill tumors. In a talk about a breakthrough, he shares how three decades of research culminated in a therapy that's eradicated cases of leukemia once thought to be incurable -- and explains how it could be used to fight other types of cancer.

Carl June is the pioneer behind CAR T-cell therapy: a groundbreaking cancer treatment that supercharges part of a patient's own immune system to attack and kill tumors. In a talk about a breakthrough, he shares how three decades of research culminated in a therapy that's eradicated cases of leukemia once thought to be incurable -- and explains how it could be used to fight other types of cancer.

A "living drug" that could change the way we treat cancer

Genetically engineered immune cells called CAR T cells have shattered expectations in the fight against cancer. In cases once considered hopeless, such as advanced leukemia, patients have experienced complete remissions even after all other treatments failed. One striking example: a child named Emily, who was declared cancer-free after her immune system was supercharged to wipe out her leukemia. This breakthrough, decades in the making, marks a new era where medicine empowers the body itself to fight and remember cancer.