Current State of Alternative Methods in France
The GIS FC3R remains strongly committed to non-animal methods, convinced of their relevance. The national survey on the use of alternative methods to animal experimentation that we conducted will provide a comprehensive overview and facilitate the creation of a directory to strengthen the synergy among all stakeholders in the field in France.
The technology of MPS is experiencing exponential growth. These systems increasingly accurately replicate human biology, providing new perspectives in research, pharmaceutical development, and regulatory assessment, and are beginning to render some animal experiments obsolete.
However, Dr. Donna Mendrick of the FDA provided an essential viewpoint: There should be no opposition between animal and human experimentation. Instead, there should be a continuum between animals, including wildlife, and humans with a range of both animal and human MPS in between.
This "One-Health" approach using MPS is a vital vision to develop to address the health challenges of the future, such as COVID-19, a zoonosis that impacted the entire world.
Summaries of presentations from invited speakers are available online, as is the book of some 761 poster abstracts. Registrations are already open for the next edition, which will take place in Seattle from June 10-14, 2024.
French Presence at the MPS World Summit 2023
France distinguished itself at this conference, starting with two post-doctoral researchers: Coraline Chéneau, who amazed the assembly with her presentation of an infectious model with BK polyomavirus in a reconstituted human nephron proximal tubule model on a microfluidic chip. A technically advanced project charmingly abbreviated as BIRDIE, resulting from a collaboration of the Nantes laboratory CR2TI UMR 1064 with three other European partners (Universiteit Maastricht, Fluicell AB, and TissUse GmbH).
Ségolène Ladaigue from the Curie Institute also stood out with her research on a vascularized lung-on-chip system, simulating tissue response to tumor invasion.
Raphaël Jeger-Madiot, a doctoral student at the Pasteur Institute, presented a lymphoid organ-on-chip model to evaluate vaccine strategies against Covid19.
Lastly, Mathieu Hautefeuille, team leader at the Institute of Biology Paris Seine (UMR 7622), captivated everyone with his innovative approach on a new technique for in vitro tubulogenesis of liver sinusoidal channels on a chip.
French Biotechs “au rendez-vous”
Several French companies left their mark on this event. 4Dcell particularly stood out with its flagship innovations for the pharmaceutical and cardiovascular research sectors. Their specific well-chip design is promising. Other companies such as Cherry Biotech, Elveflow, Fluigent, Nanobiose, and NETRI were also present, showcasing the vitality and ingenuity of French Biotech.
The MPS World Summit 2023 was a window into the future of biotechnology and non-animal experimentation. France, with its innovative laboratories and companies, is asserting itself as a key player in this burgeoning field.