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France–Israel Pediatric Oncology Symposium
Hôpital Rambam – Ruth Rappaport Children’s Hospital, Haïfa
November 17th, 2025
On November 17th, 2025, the Gredinger Hall at Ruth Rappaport Children’s Hospital (Rambam Medical Center) hosted an important France–Israel Symposium in Pediatric Oncology.
The event brought together 40 participants from all Israeli pediatric oncology centers, along with leading French and Israeli experts.
The opening remarks were delivered by:
- Prof. Myriam Ben Arush, Rambam
- Dr. Muriel Haim, Fondation France Israël
- Mr. Georges Diener, French Consulate in Haifa
- Prof. Daniella Magen, Director of the Pediatric Division, Rambam
- Prof. Ami Aronheim, Dean, Technion Faculty of Medicine
- Dr. Nira Arad-Cohen, Rambam
Summary
Session I – Immunotherapy and CAR-T Cells
Chaired by Dr. Nira Arad-Cohen and Prof. Elad Jacobi, this session featured a keynote lecture by Prof. André Baruchel (Robert Debré Hospital, Paris) on CAR-T cell therapy in pediatric leukemia.
Additional presentations included:
- Dr. Adi Shapira (Rambam) – Strategies to overcome CD19-negative relapse using TCR-like antibodies.
- Dr. Ofrat Beyar (Rambam) – Bone marrow aplasia following CAR-T treatment.
Session II – Soft Tissue Sarcomas, Medulloblastoma & Metronomic Therapy
Chaired by Dr. Oz Mordechai and Prof. Ronit Elhasid, the second session gathered several leading French speakers:
- Prof. François Doz (Institut Curie) – Current approaches and experimental therapies for medulloblastoma.
- Prof. Daniel Orbach (Institut Curie) – Importance of molecular biology in pediatric soft tissue sarcomas.
- Prof. Nicolas André (La Timone Enfants, Marseille) – Future directions of metronomic chemotherapy.
The session also featured Prof. Daniel Kurnik (Rambam) discussing pharmacology in infants.
Session III – Host Response and Nanotechnology
Chaired by Dr. Liat Oren and Dr. Shira Amar:
- Prof. Yuval Shaked (Technion) – Host response to anticancer therapy.
- Dr. Alejandro Sosnik (Technion) – Nanoparticle technologies in pediatric tumors.
Download the presentations here:
Dr Adi Shapira Prof. Nicolas André
Dr Ofrat Beyar
Prof. François Doz
Prof. Daniel Orbach
Prof. André Baruchel
Strengthening France–Israel Scientific Collaboration
The symposium fostered high-level scientific dialogue, highlighting the strong partnership between French centers of excellence — Robert-Debré Hospital, Institut Curie, and La Timone Children’s Hospital — and Israel’s national pediatric oncology community.
The event laid the foundation for deeper collaborations in research, innovative therapeutic strategies, and improved care for children with cancer.
