The 2025 Olga Sain Prize honors a major breakthrough against leukemias
The Ligue contre le cancer awards the 2025 Olga Sain Prize to Diana Passaro, team leader at the Cochin Institute and the Leukemia Institute, for her work that could transform the management of acute leukemias.
By targeting not only cancer cells but also the environment that supports them, her team paves the way for more effective treatments and improved chances of recovery.
In France, 9,000 to 10,000 new cases of leukemia are diagnosed each year, with a significant proportion occurring in children and young adults.
Recreating bone marrow to better understand leukemia
To understand how leukemias survive and resist treatments, Diana Passaro’s team recreates the vascular niche of the bone marrow in the laboratory.
Using humanized organoids and organ-on-chip systems, these models accurately replicate the environment in which leukemic cells develop.
Objective: to identify vulnerabilities within this “niche” and to test therapeutic strategies targeting not only the cancer cells but also their microenvironment.
An approach that could transform the management of leukemias and improve the chances of cure.
The Leukemia Institute, a driver of innovation and collaboration
Created in 2023 as part of France 2030, the Leukemia Institute is the only hospital-university institute (IHU) in Europe dedicated to leukemias.
It brings together the expertise of major hospital sites (Saint-Louis, Cochin, Necker, Robert-Debré, Avicenne) and leading academic institutions (École Polytechnique, CEA, ESPCI), under the aegis of AP-HP, Inserm, the Collège de France, and Université Paris Cité.
Its mission: to treat, research, and teach, while accelerating the translation of discoveries into clinical practice.
The institute implements ambitious projects focused on acute leukemias and pre-leukemic syndromes, combining multi-omics technologies, innovative models such as organoids, and early-phase clinical trials.
This collaborative dynamic establishes the institute as an international reference center, committed to transforming research into tangible solutions for patients.
Your contact person
Charlotte Bouquerel
Head of Strategic Development
We are available to support you with interview requests, media coverage, and photo or video shoots across all medical, scientific, institutional, and event-related topics linked to the Institute’s activities.
As a committed player in the fight against leukemia, the Institute actively contributes to advancing research, care, and public awareness.
