History

Arie Belldegrun: A Tribute to the Founding Father of CAR T Dr. Zelig Eshhar

haaretz.com

Jul 7, 2025, 13:02

Arie Belldegrun: A Tribute to the Founding Father of CAR T Dr. Zelig Eshhar

Arie Belldegrun, Professor, Director at UCLA Institute of Urologic Oncology, Doumani Chair in Urologic Oncology at UCLA Health System, shared a post on LinkedIn:

“A Tribute to Dr. Zelig Eshhar: A Founding Father of CAR T and a Pioneer of Medical Independence

This Fourth of July weekend, a time when freedom and new beginnings are celebrated, we mourn the loss of one of science’s great liberators, Dr. Zelig Eshhar. His passing is deeply personal to me and profoundly impactful forthe field of cancer immunotherapy.

Zelig was more than a scientist. He was a visionary who redefined what was possible in cancer treatment. As the “father” of CAR T therapy, he broke the bounds of conventional oncology and empowered the immune system to do what it was always meant to do: fight cancer. His pioneering work on chimeric antigen receptors, which began at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel and continued at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at the The National Institutes of Health under another cancer legend, Dr. Steve Rosenberg, M.D., Ph.D., sparked a revolution that now brings hope to thousands of patients worldwide.

In December 2013, Kite Pharma licensed the groundbreaking CAR constructs Zelig had pioneered, forming the scientific backbone of our mission. His trust in our team was instrumental in building Kite, and he served on our Scientific Advisory Board with the humility and wisdom of a true giant. I will never forget when Zelig signed his agreement with Kite and inscribed a 50-shekel note in front of Ran Nussbaum, a fellow board member, and I, to mark “a new beginning” for CAR T therapy. Though small in size, that note carries monumental symbolic value – a belief in a better future.

One of my most cherished photographs is from 2013, standing with Dr. Zelig Eshhar and Dr. Rosenberg, two visionaries who helped launch a new chapter in medicine. That image captures more than a historic moment; it marks the start of a true paradigm shift. I knew I was among giants, but I didn’t yet grasp how life-changing that moment would be. It was Zelig who first showed us how to combine the precision of antibodies with the power of T cells, creating a therapeutic approach that would redefine what’s possible, not just in oncology, but across the spectrum of disease.

The Fourth of July celebrates independence. How fitting that we remember Zelig on this day, a man who gave medicine its own independence from the limitations of traditional cancer therapies. His legacy is not just in the patents he held or the publications he authored, but in every patient who now lives longer, stronger, and freer because of CAR T cell therapy.

To me, Zelig Eshhar will always be remembered not only as a pioneering scientist but also as a quiet hero, a generous mentor, and a dear friend. We honor him not just with words, but with action, by continuing to build, to innovate, and to carry forward the mission he began.

Zelig, your vision endures in every cell, every cure, and every life saved.”

Arie Belldegrun