Four trailblazing scientists—Carl June, Bruce Levine, Isabelle Rivière, and Michel Sadelain—have been jointly honored with the 2025 Richard N. Merkin Prize in Biomedical Technology for their pioneering work in developing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. This revolutionary form of personalized cancer immunotherapy has transformed the treatment landscape for patients suffering from previously incurable blood cancers, such as leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. By reprogramming a patient’s own immune cells to recognize and eradicate tumor cells with precision, CAR T-cell therapy has achieved remarkable clinical success, delivering durable remissions in tens of thousands of patients worldwide.
The $400,000 Merkin Prize, shared among these four innovators, acknowledges their groundbreaking contributions to biomedical technology that have significantly reshaped cancer treatment paradigms. More than just a breakthrough in oncology, CAR T-cell therapy represents a paradigm shift in precision medicine that harnesses the power of the immune system to fight disease. Patients’ T cells are extracted, genetically engineered in a laboratory environment to express a synthetic receptor targeting cancer-specific proteins, then expanded and infused back into the body. This engineered cellular response equips the immune system to hunt down and destroy tumor cells with formidable specificity and potency.
Richard Merkin, M.D., the prize’s namesake and founder of Heritage Provider Network, emphasizes the profound impact of this technology: “The development of CAR T-cell therapy is a defining moment in biomedical history, an extraordinary example of how foundational scientific insights can be translated into lifesaving therapies. Honoring these scientists underscores the magnitude of their impact on cancer and beyond, positioning us on the cusp of curing millions.”
Administered by the Broad Institute, the Merkin Prize rewards technologies that have meaningfully advanced human health. A rigorous selection process by a committee of distinguished scientific leaders from the academic and industry sectors across the US and Europe vetted this year’s finalists. The winners will be formally recognized in a ceremony later this year, celebrating a milestone in immunotherapy development with significant implications for future medical innovations.
The concept of redirecting the immune system to target cancer thoughtfully harnesses immunological defense mechanisms but faced significant challenges in achieving efficacy and safety. CAR T-cell therapy provides an elegant solution built on genetic engineering principles. By introducing chimeric antigen receptors—synthetic molecules that combine tumor antigen recognition and T-cell activation capabilities—researchers enable T cells to identify and kill cancer cells expressing specific proteins such as CD19, a hallmark of certain blood cancers. These re-engineered T cells demonstrate unparalleled specificity and cytotoxic activity against tumor targets.
Key to this technological leap was Michel Sadelain’s work in the 1990s, then at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where he crafted CARs by fusing antibody fragments with T-cell receptor signaling domains. Sadelain’s innovation laid the molecular groundwork showing that synthetic CAR T cells could provoke a robust immune response upon encountering cancer antigens. His early demonstration of targeting the CD19 protein remains foundational to today’s commercial CAR T-cell therapies.
The challenge of cellular persistence in vivo was addressed by Carl June’s pioneering research at the University of Pennsylvania. In the mid-1990s, June demonstrated that genetically engineered T cells could survive for extended periods within patients, initially studying resistance to HIV infection. This persistence is fundamental, as chronic engagement and elimination of cancer require engineered T cells to remain active within the body for months or years, enabling sustained tumor surveillance and destruction.
Turning these scientific insights into a scalable, clinically viable therapy demanded a remarkable collaborative effort. June and Bruce Levine optimized methods for harvesting, genetically modifying, and expanding patient T cells at therapeutic scale, while Sadelain and Isabelle Rivière refined CAR construct design by incorporating “costimulatory” domains—molecular signals boosting T-cell activation and longevity. This boosting signal enhanced the efficacy and durability of CAR T-cell responses and is now standard in all approved CAR therapies.
From the early 2000s, these teams transitioned their work into clinical applications. The first leukemia patient treatment using personalized CAR T cells occurred in 2007, with Rivière and Sadelain’s team publishing their manufacturing protocols shortly thereafter. Their technology was licensed to Juno Therapeutics, which Bristol Myers Squibb later acquired. Parallel efforts led to FDA approvals in 2017 for CAR T-cell therapies developed by Novartis and Kite Pharmaceuticals, firmly establishing CAR T therapy among frontline treatments for hematological malignancies.
Rivière recalls the “eureka” moment when their first patient treated with CD19-targeted CAR T cells achieved an undetectable leukemia state just weeks post-infusion, a profound testament to the therapy’s curative potential. Similarly, Levine reflected on early trial data showcasing dramatic tumor regression, providing hope to patients facing otherwise fatal relapsed or refractory blood cancers. These clinical successes validated CAR T-cell therapy as a transformative advance in oncology.
Since the first FDA approval, seven CAR T-cell products have emerged addressing multiple blood cancers, including acute lymphoblastic leukemia, large B-cell lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. While these products have been optimized, they all build on the foundational designs and manufacturing strategies developed by June, Levine, Rivière, and Sadelain. The therapy’s demonstrated success has sparked ongoing research into broadening CAR T technology’s applicability beyond oncology.
Clinical trials are now exploring CAR T cells as treatments for autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, where selective targeting of autoreactive immune cells offers potential to induce remission without global immunosuppression. Additionally, researchers are investigating therapeutic possibilities in infectious diseases, tissue fibrosis, and even age-related degenerative conditions, leveraging the modular nature of CAR designs to target diverse pathological proteins.
Looking forward, advances in CAR engineering—such as next-generation receptors enabling nuanced modulation of T-cell activity—and improvements in cell manufacturing scalability promise to expand access and efficacy. Novel generation CAR T cells aim to overcome current limitations including toxicity, antigen escape, and complex production logistics. As these advances mature, CAR T-cell immunotherapy stands poised to revolutionize precision medicine worldwide, offering hope to millions across a spectrum of life-threatening diseases.
The remarkable journey from molecular design to lifesaving therapy epitomizes the synergy between innovative science, engineering, and clinical translation. The Merkin Prize’s recognition of June, Levine, Rivière, and Sadelain honors not only their scientific brilliance but also their enduring impact on human health—a testament to the remarkable power of harnessing the immune system in the fight against disease.
Subject of Research: Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell Therapy Development and Clinical Applications
Article Title: Trailblazers Awarded 2025 Merkin Prize for Pioneering CAR T-cell Therapy that Revolutionized Cancer Treatment
News Publication Date: 2025
Web References:
– https://mediasvc.eurekalert.org/Api/v1/Multimedia/9bf29010-73a2-42e7-8151-f17caaf7ac0b/Rendition/low-res/Content/Public
– Broad Institute (https://www.broadinstitute.org)
– University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine (https://www.med.upenn.edu)
– Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (https://www.mskcc.org)
Image Credits: University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Keywords: CAR T-cell therapy, cancer immunotherapy, chimeric antigen receptor, personalized medicine, leukemia treatment, lymphoma therapy, blood cancers, immuno-oncology, cellular immunotherapy, genetic engineering, precision medicine, biomedical innovation
