Creator of CAR-T Therapies: “The Genetic Medicine of the Future Will Be Able to Treat Everything from Diabetes to Chronic Infections

In a recent interview with El País, Dr. Carl H. June, the American scientist behind the groundbreaking CAR-T cell therapies, expressed his belief that medicine is entering a new era—one driven by personalized genetic treatments capable of curing not only cancers, but also chronic infections, autoimmune diseases, and even diabetes.

Dr. June highlighted significant breakthroughs in brain cancer treatments in 2024, including novel delivery methods that bypass the blood-brain barrier and the use of dual-targeted CAR-T cells, which show promise in solid tumors. He also cited remarkable results in autoimmune diseases such as lupus, where patients have entered remission after CAR-T treatment. Over 80 clinical trials are currently exploring CAR-T applications beyond oncology.

Despite these advances, Dr. June raised concerns about the high costs of CAR-T therapies and the regulatory and political barriers that may slow progress. He warned that recent policy decisions under the Trump administration, including cuts to vaccine research and halted RNA-based CAR-T trials, risk delaying critical medical advances by years.

“The real tragedy,” June said, “is that science hasn’t done enough to educate the public. We live longer and healthier lives today because of a century of scientific research—and yet that progress is being jeopardized.”

As the field of genetic and cell therapies rapidly expands, Dr. June remains optimistic about their future role in first-line treatments, especially in pediatric cases where the side effects of chemotherapy can be lifelong. He believes CAR-T therapies will soon become more accessible and affordable, much like mobile phones once reserved for the wealthy.

“It’s a very exciting time. This is a new paradigm for medicine,” he concluded.

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