RSU joins new precision medicine programme for paediatric oncology, LEONARDO

On 8 October, a new precision oncology programme for children, LEONARDO, was launched at the PMNET Forum 2026. It brings together the Children’s Clinical University Hospital, Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU), Riga Technical University (RTU), NIRI, and international partners to advance research into paediatric cancers and improve diagnosis and treatment in Latvia. 

LEONARDO aims to integrate research, diagnostics, data, and innovative therapies into a single programme so that scientific advances reach patients more quickly. The programme’s vision is the right diagnosis and the right treatment at the right time for every child with cancer in Latvia. 

The programme covers several areas of precision medicine, including next-generation sequencing, liquid biopsy, ultra-rapid diagnostics, the use of artificial intelligence and data, drug sensitivity profiling, microbiome research, and immunotherapy. 

RSU will contribute to the programme through drug sensitivity profiling by studying how tumour cells respond to different medicines under laboratory conditions. This functional precision medicine approach provides additional information to support individualised treatment decisions. 

LEONARDO brings together expertise in medicine, research, and technology to create new opportunities for children with cancer and their families. The programme’s principal supporter is the company, SIA “Mikrotīkls”. 

The programme’s unifying principle is “Every child. Every chance.”, emphasising its main goal: to harness the potential of science and technology so that every child in Latvia has access to the most precise diagnosis and targeted treatment possible.