Healing Humanity: The Parker Institute’s Pioneering Quest in CAR-T Cell Therapy to Cure All Cancers
- Rachelle DiMedia
- Feb 10
- 6 min read
Updated: Feb 18
PICI, or the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, has created a progressive, novel collaborative effort that brings together the best minds and resources to enable advances in immunotherapy. In the labyrinthine world of cancer, treatments like immunotherapy are still nascent, and medical practitioners have traditionally used it as a last resort. This complex field requires multi-institution, cross-disciplinary collaboration to fast-track breakthroughs and save lives, but this has been wholly unrecognized until now. The innovative work that Carl June and PICI are doing through this ambitious enterprise is making waves in the field of cancer therapy and research, but will it be enough to cure cancer altogether?
Who are Carl June and PICI?
Carl June is an immunologist and oncologist, often referred to as the father of CAR-T therapy. He is the PICI Center Director at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He is one of the first scientists to discover the potential of our own immune system to heal, albeit with a little jumpstart. Through his extensive work with CAR-T cells and HIV, he found that the modified cells he created could last for years rather than die or be rejected by the host (patient).
In 2024, he won the Breakthrough Prize, hailed as one of the most distinguished awards in the scientific community for his work with engineered immune cells. He has been working in cellular immunotherapy for decades, but his invention of CAR-T therapy opened a new and promising path in cancer care.
Enter the auspicious creation of a groundbreaking company. PICI was initially founded by tech entrepreneur Sean Parker and his wife, Alexandra, in 2015. Through their philanthropic donation and support, they created a unique consortium of six major American cancer centers that aim to advance cancer immunotherapy research. Top scientists and resources are united, working together to accelerate findings that will cure all forms of cancer. This provided the impetus for the collaboration of Stanford University and Dr. June. Together, they conducted the first pilot trial of multiplex human genome editing. Now, with a growing number of strategic partners, new technology is being designed at a breakneck pace to make these “living drugs” more efficient, longer-lasting, and easier to manufacture.
Currently, CAR-T therapy is primarily used to treat some blood cancers when other treatments aren’t effective. It may be used as an initial treatment if a patient has metastatic cancer, which is cancer that has spread and is in multiple parts of the body. However, due to the efforts of the PICI-backed endeavor, researchers plan on making this available as a first-line therapy, not only for blood-related illnesses but for solid tumors as well. PICI’s support of new technology, transformative scientists, and trailblazing research isn’t all they do. Additionally, they assist the next generation of scientific pioneers to add their talents in transforming hypothesis into reality.
What is CAR-T therapy?
CAR-T or chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy is a form of immunotherapy for cancer. Immunotherapy harnesses the power of the body’s own immune system to treat and cure cancer. Usually, the body detects and fights all manner of foreign intruders. There are special cells in the body specifically designed to seek and kill interlopers, like allergens, viruses, and abnormal cells that may become cancerous. T-cells, a subset of white blood cells, become activated when an abnormality is detected. They will find, fight, and kill the unwelcome guest and activate other parts of the immune system to assist. However, cancer cells are tricky, and our bodies don’t always have what it takes to fight the disease effectively.
Here is where CAR-T therapy comes in. This form of immunotherapy uses your cells once they have been modified into more effectual cancer-killing machines called “living drugs.” The Food and Drug Administration approved the treatment for several types of blood cancers, which opened the door for more investigation into its future uses. Still, research is expensive and often only done through one facility rather than multiple working together toward one common goal. Once thought to be a dubious treatment, it has started to become mainstream, thanks to the efforts of Dr. June and PICI.
How is it done?
Basically, the intended cells are taken from the patient, modified, and then transfused back in. The process by which the cells are extracted is called leukapheresis, where white blood cells (leukocytes)are removed from your blood. This is done by taking your blood and processing it to separate the white blood cells from the red blood cells, platelets, and plasma.
What is the process for the patient?
A medical provider will start two IV’s, one to remove the blood and one to return it. Sometimes, a central line is used, which has two large intravenous lines in it. This is placed near the neck or under the collarbone. The blood is removed, separated, and returned without the white blood cells. The entire blood removal process takes at least 2-3 hours.
The white blood cells are preserved and sent to a facility where the T-cells can be isolated and removed. Those cells are then modified to detect and kill cancers more efficiently. This is done when scientists add an engineered gene to your T-cells, which will produce special receptors, called chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) on the surface of the T-cells. With their new helpers on board, the cells can now see markers on cancer cells they were previously blind to. Additionally, the CAR’s activate and enhance the T-cell's ability to kill cancer cells.
Once created, the cells are multiplied to the millions and infused back into the patient’s bloodstream, usually after a course of mild chemotherapy.
What’s the downside?
Unfortunately, as with most current medical treatments, the process comes with a cost. First, it is very time-intensive. It can take weeks to modify the cells. Although patients don’t need to be in the hospital for this, it is agonizing to wait while you know the cancer is killing you. Once the day finally arrives for patients to receive their new, upgraded cells, side effects can occur (listed below). This can precipitate a protracted hospital stay, causing even more disruption to the patient's quality of life. Regardless, you must remain in the hospital for 7-10 days after CAR-T therapy. After discharge, it is essential to have someone available to stay with you 24 hours a day for a month, and you will need someone to drive for you for two months in case of a delayed reaction.
Side effects are primarily due to an overreaction of the body to treatment. Since it improves the body’s immune response, some individuals experience a more extreme reaction where the body actually attacks itself. Possible side effects can range from sudden onset diabetes to organ failure. However, they are considered manageable and significantly less severe than terminal cancer. Scientists can create more efficient therapies as the learning curve flattens, and adverse reactions should be rare in the future.
Side Effects
The two most common side effects are cytokine release syndrome and neurological issues. Cytokine release syndrome is an inflammatory syndrome that causes symptoms, including:
Dyspnea (shortness of breath).
Neurological issues from CAR T-cell therapy may include:
Aphasia (difficulty speaking).
Dysgraphia (difficulty writing).
Tremors or twitching.
Other potential side effects are:
An allergic reaction during infusion.
Bruising or bleeding more easily than usual.
Hypokalemia (low levels of potassium).
Hyponatremia (low sodium levels).
Increased risk of infection.
Future Outlook:
CAR-T cell therapy may just change cancer treatment forever. Over the last decade, the field of immunotherapy research has grown. It promises a more long-lasting, effective treatment with decreased side effects and may eventually cure cancer altogether. Unlike other forms of cancer therapy, CAR-T is highly specialized. The cells have been engineered to kill cancer cells and only cancer cells. In this way, only cancerous cells die and not healthy ones. Chemotherapy, on the other hand, can’t tell the difference between the two, and this is where toxic side effects are born.
Additionally, recurrence is often a threat with traditional treatments, but immunotherapy lasts. Once a patient is in remission, they may remain so forever. The modified cells are created to “remember” cancer and to disallow it from returning.
Recently, a woman was recognized for remaining in remission for over 18 years after being diagnosed with advanced pediatric neuroblastoma, a nerve cancer that spreads as nerves grow. This is the longest remission recorded in CAR-T history. The patient received her diagnosis at the age of 4. After traditional methods proved ineffective, she was included in an experimental group with 10 others facing the same condition. None of the participants in the trial experienced any significant side effects. Although nine of the participants ultimately did not survive their cancer, one remained healthy after nine years. However, that patient dropped out, making follow-up impossible. It remains unclear why some individuals respond better than others, but researchers are working diligently to address this question, and the outlook is promising.
If this technology continues to be supported and funded by philanthropists like the Parker’s, advances that will likely be available at the forefront of patient care will continue. Research, technology, and science are coming to fruition to transform cancer care radically. Due to the tireless efforts of scientists like Dr. June and the support of PICI, a cure for cancer may be a dream realized.
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