The 2026 Tang Prize honored three leading scientists in modern oncology. Steven A. Rosenberg, Michel Sadelain, and Carl H. June received one of the world’s most prestigious scientific awards for their contributions to the development of TIL (Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocyte) and CAR-T (Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell) therapies.
In addition, the award highlighted the growing importance of so-called “living medicines,” therapies that use modified immune cells to recognize and eliminate cancer cells with high precision. As a result, thousands of patients with advanced hematologic malignancies have gained new treatment prospects.
The recognition granted by the Tang Prize also underscores the central role of immunotherapy in transforming contemporary medicine. Today, researchers around the world are working to advance these technologies and expand their use to solid tumors and other complex diseases.
What is the Tang Prize?
Established in Taiwan in 2014, the Tang Prize has become one of the world’s most respected international scientific awards. Often compared to the Nobel Prize, it recognizes discoveries capable of generating a lasting impact on humanity.
In addition, the award covers strategic areas for global development, including sustainable development, rule of law, Sinology, and biopharmaceutical science.
Over the years, several laureates have subsequently received other major distinctions. For this reason, the Tang Prize is often regarded as an important indicator of the trends that will shape the future of medicine.
In 2026, the selection of the winners highlighted one of the greatest revolutions in oncology: the engineering of immune cells to fight cancer.
How cellular immunotherapy changed cancer treatment
For decades, scientists faced a major obstacle: tumors have sophisticated mechanisms that weaken the body’s natural immune response.
Within the tumor microenvironment, immunosuppressive molecules such as TGF-β, IL-6, and IL-10 reduce the activity of lymphocytes responsible for fighting cancer. In addition, regulatory cells recruited by tumors help suppress the action of the body’s natural defenses.
For this reason, many traditional treatments have limitations when dealing with advanced tumors.
However, cellular immunotherapy introduced a new strategy. Instead of directly attacking the tumor with conventional drugs, researchers began using the patient’s own immune system as a therapeutic tool.
In this process, immune cells are collected, modified or activated in the laboratory, and subsequently reinfused into the patient. As a result, these cells return better equipped to locate and destroy malignant cells.
The Tang Prize and the evolution of immunotherapy
The 2026 Tang Prize also represents historical continuity within the award itself.
In its inaugural edition in 2014, the prize recognized the scientists responsible for the discovery of the immune checkpoints CTLA-4 and PD-1. These discoveries enabled the development of modern checkpoint inhibitors, which are currently used in several types of cancer.
However, cellular therapies have advanced even further.
While immunotherapeutic antibodies remove barriers that limit lymphocyte activity, CAR-T and TIL therapies transform these cells into highly specialized agents.
Consequently, many experts consider these technologies the next generation of cancer immunotherapy.
Steven Rosenberg
The emergence of TIL therapy
Steven A. Rosenberg has devoted much of his career to studying the relationship between the immune system and cancer.
In the 1980s, he demonstrated that high doses of interleukin-2 could stimulate the expansion of T lymphocytes capable of fighting tumors. This discovery paved the way for the development of new therapeutic strategies.
Rosenberg subsequently developed TIL therapy, considered one of the pillars of modern cellular immunotherapy.
The procedure begins with the removal of a small tumor sample. Researchers then isolate the tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes found within the tissue.
After selecting the most active cells, they are expanded in the laboratory. Finally, millions of these cells are returned to the patient’s body to attack the cancer.
As a result, several patients with metastatic melanoma have achieved durable clinical responses.
Legacy in gene therapy
In addition to his clinical contributions, Rosenberg achieved a major regulatory milestone.
He participated in some of the earliest authorized initiatives involving the insertion of genes into human cells. In doing so, he helped establish the foundations for future genetically modified cellular therapies.
For this reason, many experts consider him the true father of modern immunotherapy.
Michel Sadelain
Creating the modern CAR-T cell architecture
Michel Sadelain played a decisive role in the development of CAR-T therapies.
The earliest versions of chimeric antigen receptors had significant limitations. Although they could recognize tumor cells, their activity was often insufficient to sustain long-lasting responses.
To address this problem, Sadelain incorporated the CD28 costimulatory domain into the receptor structure.
As a result, the cells gained greater proliferative capacity, persistence, and antitumor activity.
Today, this architecture continues to serve as the basis for virtually all CAR-T therapies approved by the world’s leading regulatory agencies.
Defining CD19 as a target
Another major breakthrough was the identification of the CD19 molecule as an ideal therapeutic target for B-cell malignancies.
In addition, preclinical studies demonstrated that CD19-directed CAR-T cells could completely eliminate certain types of leukemia.
Clinical trials later confirmed these findings in patients with refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Therefore, Sadelain’s contribution was essential to establishing the clinical feasibility of CAR-T technology.
Carl June
From research to patient treatment
Carl H. June was responsible for transforming a promising technology into a clinical reality.
In addition, he developed innovative methods for efficiently and reproducibly expanding T cells in the laboratory.
This innovation significantly increased the production capacity needed to treat patients in different regions of the world.
Consequently, cellular therapies gained the practical conditions needed to reach the market.
Approval of the first CAR-T therapy
Another important milestone occurred when June incorporated the 4-1BB costimulatory domain into CAR receptors.
As a result, the cells were able to survive longer after infusion.
Subsequently, clinical studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine demonstrated remarkable responses in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
These results culminated in the approval of Kymriah®, the first CAR-T therapy approved by the FDA, in 2017.
Tang Prize: the global impact of living medicines
The results achieved with cellular therapies have impressed the global medical community.
Since the initial approval of CAR-T therapy, seven products have received regulatory authorization from the FDA.
In addition, approximately 60,000 patients worldwide have already been treated with these technologies.
Many of these individuals had advanced diseases that were resistant to conventional treatments. Therefore, cellular therapies provided new opportunities for patients who previously had few therapeutic alternatives.
The impact of these approaches continues to grow as new clinical indications receive approval.
The story of Emily Whitehead and the potential of CAR-T
One of the most emblematic cases in cellular immunotherapy is that of Emily Whitehead.
Diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at the age of five, Emily did not respond adequately to conventional chemotherapy protocols.
With no remaining alternatives, she received an experimental CAR-T therapy developed by Carl June’s team.
Following treatment, she achieved complete remission.
More than a decade later, she remains disease-free.
In addition, her story has become an international symbol of the transformative potential of personalized cellular therapies.
Tang Prize and the challenges ahead
The search for solutions for solid tumors
Despite significant advances in hematologic cancers, solid tumors remain a major challenge.
The tumor microenvironment makes it difficult for modified cells to infiltrate tumors and survive.
In addition, several immunosuppressive factors reduce their therapeutic efficacy.
For this reason, researchers are developing new generations of CAR receptors capable of resisting these defense mechanisms.
At the same time, multiple studies are seeking to improve the targeting of these cells toward tumors.
The evolution of CAR-NK therapies
Another promising field involves the development of CAR-NK therapies.
Unlike autologous CAR-T therapies, these treatments can use cells obtained from healthy donors.
As a result, they have the potential for large-scale production and significant cost reductions.
In addition, NK cells have biological characteristics that may improve treatment safety.
The future of medicine
The 2026 Tang Prize recognized three researchers responsible for transforming scientific concepts into treatments capable of saving lives.
Steven Rosenberg established the foundations of TIL therapy. Michel Sadelain developed the modern architecture of CAR-T cells. Carl June enabled their large-scale clinical application.
In addition, their work has opened new avenues for applications in autoimmune diseases, regenerative medicine, and advanced gene therapies.
As science overcomes challenges related to solid tumors and production costs, living medicines are likely to occupy an increasingly important position in medical practice.
Thus, the legacy of the honorees demonstrates that the next revolution in medicine is already underway—and cellular immunotherapy remains at the center of this transformation.
