28 April 2026
The Champalimaud Foundation and the Vatican Bambino Gesù Paediatric Hospital, have signed a letter of intent to collaborate on the development of advanced cell therapies and the implementation of clinical trials in oncology and autoimmune diseases. The aim is to expand access for patients of all ages across different geographical and economic contexts.
Signed in Rome on 28 April, the agreement combines the Champalimaud Foundation’s expertise in adult oncology with Bambino Gesù’s recognised leadership in paediatric oncology and cell therapies. This synergy strengthens the link between research and clinical practice throughout the translational medicine pathway.
The collaboration includes the joint development of platforms for advanced cell therapies, particularly CAR-T cell immunotherapy, a personalised and precision-based approach with potential across various cancers and autoimmune diseases.
During the visit, the Portuguese delegation toured Bambino Gesù’s Gene Therapy Laboratory and Pharmaceutical Production Unit, which includes a GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) facility with several years of experience in producing advanced therapies and conducting pioneering CAR-T clinical trials.
For Leonor Beleza, President of the Champalimaud Foundation, the agreement represents a decisive step towards expanding access to innovative therapies:
“Our main goal is to create a development model that makes innovative care, often very costly and difficult to access, safer, more effective and more sustainable for a greater number of patients, both children and adults.”
She also highlighted that “by working with a paediatric institution that has already demonstrated the effectiveness of CAR-T cells in severe autoimmune diseases in childhood, we are accelerating knowledge translation for the benefit of patients and learning from a partner with internationally recognised certification processes and scientific quality.”
The agreement also ensures that results will be made available at reduced cost for non-profit organisations and low-resource settings, reinforcing a commitment to equitable access.
Bambino Gesù Paediatric Hospital is recognised as a centre of excellence in cell therapies. A recent study published in Nature Medicine demonstrated the effectiveness of CD19-targeted CAR-T cells in children and adolescents with severe autoimmune diseases, enabling prolonged remission and the discontinuation of immunosuppressive treatments in many cases.
This study, coordinated by Bambino Gesù in collaboration with the University of Erlangen, is based on products manufactured in its own GMP facility authorised by the Italian regulatory authority, demonstrating a combination of scientific rigour, technological capability and clinical impact underpinning this partnership.
The agreement was supported by the Pontifical Academy for Life, represented by Msgr Renzo Pegoraro, and by the Patriarch of Lisbon, Rui Manuel Sousa Valério, highlighting its ethical dimension. The Holy See’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, described it as a high-profile scientific initiative, aligned with a vision that brings together medical progress with justice, solidarity and the integral development of the human person.
According to Professor Markus Maeurer, Director of the Comprehensive Cell Therapy Centre at the Champalimaud Foundation, the exchange of knowledge, researchers and technology between the two institutions will accelerate the development and availability of advanced therapies still limited by economic and geographical barriers.
For Professor Franco Locatelli, Head of the Onco-Haematology and Cell Therapy Clinical Research Centre at Bambino Gesù, this collaboration marks a turning point in building scientific and clinical synergies aimed at expanding access to CAR-T treatments, particularly in solid tumours, haematological malignancies and severe autoimmune diseases.
This agreement aims to form the core of an international network of institutions sharing ethical and scientific principles, with the goal of accelerating the clinical application of innovative therapies and extending their impact to more patients across more countries.
