For more than 40 years as a research institution, the Vatican-owned Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital has remained at the forefront of pediatric medical research while providing care to children from around the world.Among its most recent advances, the so-called “Pope’s hospital” inaugurated a new Gene Therapy Laboratory in October 2025 to develop innovative treatments for genetic diseases.“We must always remain at the forefront of research, not to boast about our achievements, but because we must find the newest treatments that save lives and help children have a future. That is what matters most to us,” the hospital’s president, Tiziano Onesti, told.
“Children should be treated with the most innovative treatments, and these should be accessible to everyone,” he added. “That’s what distinguishes Bambino Gesù: the fact that we are truly open to all.”A unique model of care and researchThe Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital — Europe’s largest children’s hospital and research center — has six sites in Rome and the Italian region of Lazio. It employs approximately 4,000 people, about 2,000 of whom are dedicated to research.
It is a private hospital owned by the Holy See that collaborates with the Italian National Health Service to provide free medical care to patients.“The Bambino Gesù is unique,” Onesti noted. “It is precisely this historical combination that makes it truly special, because it brings together the Holy See, the Pope, and the national health system.”More than 150 years caring for sick childrenThe hospital was founded in Rome in 1869 by Duchess Arabella FitzJames Salviati, inspired by the Hôpital des Enfants Malades in Paris.
The Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul were the first to run it.In 1887, the hospital moved to Janiculum Hill, where the “historical hospital” is located today. Onesti calls it “the beating heart of the Bambino Gesù.”A second branch opened in 1922 in the coastal town of Santa Marinella, west of Rome. Two years later, the Salviati family donated the entire complex to Pope Pius XI and the Holy See. In 1985 it was officially recognized as a research institution. More than four decades later, Bambino Gesù continues to lead research, technology, and pediatric care for the most complex cases.In 2022, its pediatric palliative care center was inaugurated — the largest in Italy by number of beds. Thanks to its Robotics and Motion Analysis Laboratory, opened in 2000, and the Clinical Trials Center, opened in 2010, the hospital developed the world’s first CAR-T cell therapies for pediatric autoimmune diseases in 2024.
The Gene Therapy Laboratory spans about 700 square meters. It uses cutting-edge technologies to research and develop genetically modified cell therapies, which are then produced in the Bambino Gesù Pharmaceutical Workshop next door. The workshop is part of the research complex opened in 2014 at the hospital’s San Paolo campus.“It is there where very, very advanced therapies are applied and where very important research is being carried out,” Onesti explained.
The hospital is also using innovative tools such as artificial intelligence in diagnosis, especially in medical imaging and the interpretation of test results. On July 9, Bambino Gesù announced it was one of three medical centers that participated in identifying a new rare genetic neurodevelopmental disease.“The future of Bambino Gesù lies, without a doubt, in patient care, but also in research that will allow us to provide better care,” Onesti said.“A great willingness to listen”Onesti said the central mission of Bambino Gesù has always been to care for and protect the most vulnerable children.
“Unfortunately, the child is defenseless, but we try to be there for people, even in the most difficult moments,” he said.He added that a common trait among hospital staff at all levels is “a great willingness to listen.”“Knowing how to listen — or, better said, truly understanding the problem the child and, above all, their family are facing — is what allows us to make a difference. That is what sets us apart. Faced with the anguish, anxiety, and loneliness of suffering, we all take action.”