{"id":10227,"date":"2025-10-02T00:01:01","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T23:01:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.proanima.fr\/interview\/jean-dominique-guitton-franck-mouthon\/"},"modified":"2025-10-09T08:57:26","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T07:57:26","slug":"jean-dominique-guitton-franck-mouthon","status":"publish","type":"interview","link":"https:\/\/www.proanima.fr\/en\/interview\/jean-dominique-guitton-franck-mouthon\/","title":{"rendered":"Jean-Dominique Guitton & Franck Mouthon"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pro Anima Scientific Committee<\/strong>: What is your role and specific connection with health research and the development of new technologies such as organs-on-chips? How did you become involved in or interested in this topic?<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Jean-Dominique Guitton<\/span><\/strong> : I co-lead, with Thibault Honegger, the Organoids and Organs-on-a-Chip theme of project 14<\/a> \u201cEnergizing and structuring the players in preclinical and clinical research in France\u201d of the Strategic Contract for the Industry and Health Technology Sector (CSF-ITS)<\/a>. I have spent my entire career in research in the pharmaceutical industry (Aventis, Sanofi) and I joined the BioValley France<\/em> cluster at the end of 2014. At BioValley France<\/em>, we began to take an interest in organ-on-a-chip technology in 2018 with the idea of setting up a structuring project around this technology based on the needs of the pharmaceutical industry.<\/p>\n

After a series of meetings with manufacturers initially, then by integrating biotechs and finally academic teams, we were able to observe that few people working in the OoC field knew each other and we decided to try to set up a French community by launching the development of a directory, by planning a workshop entitled \u201cTowards the creation and structuring of the sector\u201d<\/strong> which took place in February 2022. Before this workshop, we had contacted the Ministry of Research and thanks to its support we were able to present our idea of structuring the sector to the ANSM (National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products<\/a>), to the AIS (Health Innovation Agency<\/a>) then to the FEFIS (French Federation of Health Industries<\/a>) and to France Biotech, meetings which allowed the inclusion of this theme in the new CSF-ITS.<\/p>\n

Franck Mouthon<\/span> <\/strong>: I\u2019m a scientist by training, a graduate of the \u00c9cole Normale Sup\u00e9rieure<\/em> (ENS). I worked for time in neurovirology at the Pasteur Institute. I then led a research team on prion diseases, particularly Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, in the context marked by the mad cow crisis. In this context, I was able to explore the most fundamental aspect: neuron-glia interactions. The work carried out with my team, particularly with Mathieu Charv\u00e9riat, has led to the identification of new therapeutic targets located at the interface between neurons and glial cells.<\/p>\n

This breakthrough led, within the framework of the CEA\u2019s spin-off programs, to the creation of Theranexus, a biotechnology company dedicated to the development of drug candidates in the field of pediatric neurological diseases1<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n

This breakthrough led, as part of the CEA\u2019s spin-off programs, to the creation of Theranexus<\/em><\/a>, a biotechnology company dedicated to the development of drug candidates in the field of pediatric neurological diseases.<\/p>\n

In parallel with this entrepreneurial adventure, I led and chaired France Biotech<\/em><\/a>, a professional federation bringing together entrepreneurs in biotech, medtech, and digital healthcare. In this role, which I took on at the end of 2019, I actively contributed to the development of public-private partnerships with the government, as well as to strengthening technology transfer in healthcare. This experience took place in a context marked by the health crisis, which particularly highlighted the importance of these dynamics of innovation and cooperation.<\/p>\n

I was also heavily involved in preparing the 2021 Strategic Council for Health Industries<\/a> (CSIS), co-developing with the French government numerous proposals that informed the France 2030 Health Innovation Plan<\/a>. This plan served as a precursor to the whole France 2030<\/a> plan. At the same time, I was appointed a France 2030 Qualified Person<\/a> for the health innovation component.<\/p>\n

In April 2024, I left my various operational roles\u2009\u2014\u2009presidency of France Biotech and general management of <\/strong>Theranexus<\/strong><\/em>\u2014to become executive director of the Health Research Programs Agency (APRS). This Agency, entrusted to Inserm for the health field, aims above all to be a catalyst: its mission is to adopt a programmatic and strategic vision of research*, consistent with the desire expressed by the President of the Republic to structure thematic agencies in several key areas\u2009\u2014\u2009space, food, digital technology, energy, climate, and health.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u0001\u0001As part of France 2030, France had already chosen a certain number of priority programs (PEPR) in acceleration strategies or outside of strategy. The PEPR MED-OOC<\/a> is one of these major national programs. The agencies, in their areas of expertise, are taking over the operational management, scientific and strategic steering of these major programs. It is also because a technological transition in the health sector is currently taking place that this subject interests me. It remains uncertain to anticipate precisely what will become of this program, but it is important now to define the trajectory that could be assigned to it, whether scientific, medical or industrial, and to specify its strategic positioning. This field is part of a dynamic of major technological transition: it offers the possibility of accelerating certain developments, reducing risks, crossing critical stages, limiting the use of animal experiments and providing responses to vulnerabilities that have remained out of reach until now.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Pro Anima Scientific Committee<\/strong>: What do you consider to be the main scientific, technological, and regulatory challenges related to the development of OoCs, in France and internationally? What are the needs and prospects for standardization?<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Jean-Dominique Guitton<\/span><\/strong>: The scientific challenges are to be able to model as many organs as possible, trying to associate them with other organs or other systems (vascular, immune, etc.) to get as close as possible to human physiological reality. It is also necessary to continue to demonstrate that these models are more predictive than animal models. The main technological challenges are standardization and automation. And among the regulatory challenges, it is particularly a question of simplifying access to the cells (healthy or pathological) essential for generating these models and obtaining from health authorities (ANSM, EMA) the acceptance of these models for use in medical research.<\/p>\n

Franck Mouthon<\/span><\/strong>: The transition from basic research to its applications, whether industrial or directly integrated into healthcare practices, requires a sustained effort of standardization and normative change. The reproducibility of tools is indeed an essential condition for their recognition and integration. In certain emerging fields, such as organs-on-chips or organoids, the establishment of clear standards is an essential prerequisite, not only to ensure scientific robustness, but also to allow regulatory authorities to take an informed position.<\/p>\n

In this regard, the APRS has a major advantage. Although it is affiliated with Inserm, it benefits from autonomous governance, structured around a partners\u2019 committee bringing together, among others, all of the government\u2019s health agencies and regulatory authorities (ANSM, HAS, ANSES, Sant\u00e9 publique France, among others). This configuration provides a unique framework for bringing regulatory stakeholders closer to the research front and enabling them to evolve their doctrines in line with scientific advances.<\/p>\n

Finally, one of the APRS\u2019s central vocations is to ensure the transferability of knowledge, whether through its dissemination to the general public, its adoption by political decision-makers, or its promotion in the economic world. This initiative directly contributes to France\u2019s strategic positioning, <\/strong>whether it involves strengthening its health sovereignty, becoming a key interlocutor in international negotiations, or asserting itself as a leader in high-impact research areas. The partners\u2019 committee constitutes, in this respect, an essential lever.<\/p>\n

Pro Anima Scientific Committee<\/strong>: What are the respective objectives of the O&OoC sector and the APRS? How are they potentially complementary, also to those of the PEPR MED-OOC?<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Jean-Dominique Guitton<\/span>: The ambition of the French Organs-on-a-Chip sector is to structure and unite national expertise in order to position France as a pioneer in this strategic field. <\/strong>The success of this initiative will be measured through several concrete indicators:<\/p>\n