Recordati Awards €250,000 Research Grant for Pediatric Sarcoma Study
News related to:Recordati S.p.A · 2 min read
Recordati S.p.A has announced the winner of the 12th edition of the International Prize for Scientific Research Arrigo Recordati, dedicated to advancing research in paediatric oncology, specifically focusing on sarcomas. The €250,000 research grant was awarded to Dr.
Dr. Broutier, an Inserm researcher and group leader at the Cancer Research Center of Lyon, is leading the DISARMS project. Her work aims to uncover the mechanisms that allow tumour cells to survive chemotherapy and prevent relapse and metastasis, with the ultimate goal of identifying new, low-toxicity therapeutic approaches. This project is particularly significant as paediatric sarcomas remain a leading cause of cancer-related death in children, with limited progress in treatment over the past four decades.
Paediatric sarcomas are a diverse group of rare cancers arising in bone and soft tissues. Despite advancements in understanding their biology, treatment innovation has been slow. The DISARMS project seeks to bridge the gap between laboratory discoveries and clinical applications, developing targeted therapies that are both effective and tolerable. By focusing on dormant, drug-tolerant persister cells, the project aims to exploit their vulnerabilities to eliminate cells that conventional chemotherapy spares.
Dr. Broutier's research is part of a multidisciplinary team combining expertise in patient-derived organoid modeling, single-cell multiomics, computational biology, cancer cell metabolism, and translational paediatric oncology. The project's innovative approach involves combining patient-derived organoids, single-cell technologies, and genetic engineering to uncover the mechanisms that allow tumour cells to survive chemotherapy and later drive relapse and metastasis.
The DISARMS project was selected by an independent Review Committee of internationally recognized experts from among research proposals submitted by early career investigators from around the world. The award ceremony took place during the 58th Annual SIOP Congress in San Antonio, Texas.
Andrea Recordati, Chairman of Recordati, expressed his pleasure at awarding the 2026 Arrigo Recordati Prize to Dr. Broutier and her team.
Recordati's commitment to rare diseases is reflected in the Prize's focus on orphan disease treatment research. Since 2019, the Prize has been dedicated to recognizing excellence in this field, with the ultimate goal of promoting scientific research and inspiring biomedical discoveries that benefit people worldwide.
Dr. Broutier's project is particularly timely, given the urgent need for new therapeutic approaches in the treatment of rhabdomyosarcoma, the most common soft-tissue sarcoma in children and young adults. With the support of the €250,000 research grant, the DISARMS project aims to decode the mechanisms that allow tumour cells to survive chemotherapy and later drive relapse and metastasis, ultimately identifying new, low-toxicity therapeutic approaches to improve outcomes for children and young adults affected by this devastating disease.