Biography:Raffaele Renella

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Raffaele Renella
EducationMedicine (MD)
Molecular Hematology (PhD/DPhil)
Alma materUniversity of Geneva
University of Oxford
Known forResearch on pediatric bone marrow failure,
Pediatric myelodysplasia and embryonal cancers (neuroblastoma),
Gene therapy for blood disorders
AwardsLord Florey Scholarship (2005)
Scientific career
FieldsPediatric hematology and oncology
Hematopoiesis
Neuroblastoma
Gene therapy
InstitutionsLausanne University Hospital (CHUV)
University of Lausanne (UNIL)
Boston Children's Hospital
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Thesis (2009)
Doctoral advisorWilliam G. Wood
Douglas R. Higgs
Other academic advisorsAlain Fischer
David A. Williams

Raffaele Renella (born 1976 in Basel) is a Swiss pediatric hematologist and oncologist. He is an Associate Professor at the University of Lausanne (UNIL) and the Head of the Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Unit at the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV).[1] His research focuses on the molecular and cellular causes of pediatric cancers and blood disorders, with a specific interest in anomalies of hematopoietic stem cell development, neuroblastic tumors/neuroblastoma, and the development of gene and cell therapies.[2] In 2026, he was appointed as the co-director of the Swiss NCCR "Children & Cancer" funded by the SNSF.[3]

Career

Renella obtained his Medical Degree (MD) from the University of Geneva. He completed his residency in pediatrics at the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV).[2] In 2004, he undertook specialized training in pediatric hematology, immunology, and stem cell transplantation at the Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades in Paris, working in the unit led by Alain Fischer.[4]

From 2005 to 2009, Renella pursued a PhD with William G. Wood and Douglas R. Higgs in Molecular Hematology at the University of Oxford (Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine). As a Lord Florey Scholar at Lincoln College, he conducted research on congenital dyserythropoietic anemia.[5] During this period, he also served as an Honorary Specialist Registrar at the John Radcliffe Hospital.[6]

In 2010, Renella relocated to the United States for a clinical and research fellowship in Pediatric Hematology-Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation at Boston Children's Hospital, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Harvard Medical School.[7] He conducted postdoctoral research in the laboratory of David A. Williams.[8] From 2013 to 2014, he joined the faculty of Harvard Medical School and served as an Instructor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and an Attending Staff Physician at Boston Children's Hospital and Dana-Farber.[9]

Renella returned to Switzerland in 2015, assuming the role of Attending Physician in the Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Unit at CHUV and was appointed Head of the Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Research Laboratory (LHOP) at CHUV and University of Lausanne.[2] In August 2023, he was appointed Head of the Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Unit (Chef de service) at CHUV. Concurrently, he serves as the Pediatric Hematology Group Leader at the LHOP.[10] He holds board certifications from the Swiss Medical Association (FMH) in Pediatrics and Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (FRCPCH).[2]

In 2026, he was appointed as co-director along with Jean-Pierre Bourquin (as director) in the newly created National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) "Children & Cancer" project funded by the SNSF with a total funding of almost CHF 34 million over four years.[3]

Research

Renella leads a research group affiliated with the University of Lausanne and the Swiss Cancer Center Léman (SCCL).[11]

His research investigates cancer and blood disorders in children and fosters the development of targeted gene and cell therapy approaches. His work specifically investigates the molecular mechanisms behind embryonal pediatric cancers (neuroblastoma) and complex genetic blood disorders (bone marrow failure), myelodysplastic syndromes,[12] and hemoglobinopathies.[13]

Renella was involved in the discovery of a childhood neutropenia syndrome caused by mutations in the SEPT6 gene.[9] With Andrea Superti-Furga, he also described a bone dysplasia presenting with immune dysregulation, and participated the discovery of mutations in ACP5 as its molecular cause.[14]

He has contributed to research on lineage-specific BCL11A knockdown strategies to reverse the sickle cell phenotype and has studied the genetic basis of congenital dyserythropoietic anemias.[15]

He also participates in the development of clinical guidelines, including for children, adolescents and adults with autistic spectrum disorders undergoing cancer treatments.[16]

He is a member of the Swiss Pediatric Oncology Group (SPOG)[17] and the European Hematology Association.[18]

Distinctions

Selected works

References

  1. ↑ "Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Research Laboratory" (in en-US). https://wp.unil.ch/lhop/people/. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Pr Raffaele Renella" (in fr-FR). https://www.chuv.ch/fr/dfme/dfme-home/en-bref/cadres-du-departement-a-z/cv-renella-raffaele. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Swiss State Secretariat of Education, Research and Innovation SERI. "National Centre of Competence in Research "Children & Cancer"". https://www.sbfi.admin.ch/dam/en/sd-web/43zZ7bjPJwTJ/NFS_Children%26Cancer_EN.pdf. 
  4. ↑ Renella, Raffaele; Picard, Capucine; Neven, Bénédicte; Ouachée-Chardin, Marie; Casanova, Jean-Laurent; Deist, Françoise Le; Cavazzana-Calvo, Marina; Blanche, Stéphane et al. (2006-09-01). "Human leucocyte antigen-identical haematopoietic stem cell transplantation in major histocompatiblity complex class II immunodeficiency: reduced survival correlates with an increased incidence of acute graft- versus -host disease and pre-existing viral infections" (in en). British Journal of Haematology 134 (5): 510–516. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2141.2006.06213.x. ISSN 0007-1048. PMID 16848795. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2141.2006.06213.x. 
  5. ↑ Renella, Raffaele; Roberts, Nigel; Brown, Jill M; De Gobbi, Marco; Bird, Louise; Hassanali, Tasneem; Sloane-Stanley, Jacqueline; Sharpe, Jacqueline A et al. (2010-11-19). "Codanin-1 Mutations In Congenital Dyserythropoietic Anemia Type 1 Affect HP1α Localization In Erythroblasts" (in en). Blood 116 (21): 1003. doi:10.1182/blood.V116.21.1003.1003. ISSN 0006-4971. https://ashpublications.org/blood/article/116/21/1003/64516/Codanin1-Mutations-In-Congenital-Dyserythropoietic. 
  6. ↑ Renella, Raffaele; Wood, William G. (2009-04-01). "The Congenital Dyserythropoietic Anemias" (in en). Hematology/Oncology Clinics of North America 23 (2): 283–306. doi:10.1016/j.hoc.2009.01.010. PMID 19327584. https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0889858809000112. 
  7. ↑ "Potential gene therapy approach to sickle cell disease highlighted at national hematology meeting". https://www.dana-farber.org/newsroom/news-releases/2012/potential-gene-therapy-approach-to-sickle-cell-disease-highlighted-at-national-hematology-meeting. 
  8. ↑ Renella, Raffaele; Schlehe, Julia S.; Selkoe, Dennis J.; Williams, David A.; LaVoie, Matthew J. (2014-10-01). "Genetic deletion of the GATA1-regulated protein α-synuclein reduces oxidative stress and nitric oxide synthase levels in mature erythrocytes" (in en). American Journal of Hematology 89 (10): 974–977. doi:10.1002/ajh.23796. ISSN 0361-8609. PMID 25043722. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Marchese, Halle (2022-04-27). "A mystery launched a decade-long quest, leading to a novel cause of bone marrow failure" (in en-US). https://proteininnovation.org/2022/04/novel-cause-bone-marrow-failure-septin-mutation/. 
  10. ↑ "Laboratoire de recherche en hématologie-oncologie pédiatrique (LHOP) du CHUV" (in fr-FR). https://www.chuv.ch/fr/dfme/dfme-home/recherche/enfant-adolescent/recherche-medicale/hematologie-oncologie-pediatrique/laboratoire-de-recherche-en-hematologie-oncologie-pediatrique. 
  11. ↑ "Raffaele Renella Associate Professor - Pediatry - (UNIL)". https://applicationspub.unil.ch/interpub/noauth/php/Un/UnPers.php?PerNum=44581&LanCode=8. 
  12. ↑ Renella, Raffaele; Gagne, Katelyn; Beauchamp, Ellen; Fogel, Jonathan; Perlov, Aleksej; Sola, Mireia; Schlaeger, Thorsten; Hofmann, Inga et al. (2022-01-01). "Congenital X-linked neutropenia with myelodysplasia and somatic tetraploidy due to a germline mutation in SEPT6". American Journal of Hematology 97 (1): 18–29. doi:10.1002/ajh.26382. ISSN 1096-8652. PMID 34677878. 
  13. ↑ Southan, Christopher (2014-11-29). PMID 25415348 back-story on bioactivity dbs. doi:10.59350/n6013-31e08. https://doi.org/10.59350/n6013-31e08. Retrieved 2026-02-23. 
  14. ↑ Southan, Christopher (2014-11-29). PMID 25415348 back-story on bioactivity dbs. doi:10.59350/r0r6b-9tf43. https://doi.org/10.59350/r0r6b-9tf43. Retrieved 2026-02-23. 
  15. ↑ Vuattoux, Delphine; Colomer-Lahiguera, Sara; Fernandez, Pierre-Alain; Jequier Gygax, Marine; Choucair, Marie-Louise; Beck-Popovic, Maja; Diezi, Manuel; Manificat, Sabine et al. (2020). "Cancer Care of Children, Adolescents and Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorders: Key Information and Strategies for Oncology Teams". Frontiers in Oncology 10. doi:10.3389/fonc.2020.595734. ISSN 2234-943X. PMID 33552969. 
  16. ↑ Southan, Christopher (2014-11-29). PMID 25415348 back-story on bioactivity dbs. doi:10.59350/n6013-31e08. https://doi.org/10.59350/n6013-31e08. Retrieved 2026-02-23. 
  17. ↑ "Jahresbericht 2020". https://spog.ch/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/SPOG_Jahresbericht_2020.pdf. 
  18. ↑ "Chairs and members" (in en-US). https://ehaweb.org/research-innovation/specialized-working-groups/specialized-working-group-on-pediatric-hematology/chairs-and-members-pediatric. 
  19. ↑ "Outstanding Abstract Achievement Awards" (in en). https://www.hematology.org/awards/award-recipients/outstanding-abstract-achievement. 
  20. ↑ "Medical & Scientific Advisory Board" (in en). https://escfederation.eu/advisory-board. 



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