Lyon, France, May 27, 2025– NETRI, Techbio neuro-organs-on-chip start-up, announces the signature of a scientific collaboration agreement with French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (Anses). The aim of this joint research project is to develop new methods for assessing the toxicity of pesticides on the human nervous system, without recourse to animal testing.

This project, based in part on the European PARC program (Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals), for which Anses is the coordinating institution at Community level, responds to the need for reliable and ethical models to predict the effects of chemical substances on health and protect human health. It is fully in line with the ethical principles of the 3Rs (Replace, Reduce, Refine the use of animals in research) and the growing adoption of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) promoted by the European Union.

Disruptive technology for human health.

The partnership is based on innovative compartmentalized, electrophysiological recording-compatible (MEA) technologies developed by NETRI, which enable the culture of human stem cell-derived neurons (hiPSCs) in DuaLink™ microfluidic devices mimicking neural networks. These neurons, grown on microelectrode arrays (MEAs), enable real-time analysis of the impact of neurotoxic substances.

« This project represents a major opportunity to broaden the applications of organ-on-chip technologies using relevant human data. » says Thibault Honegger, CEO of NETRI. « Thanks to the scientific expertise of Anses and our cutting-edge technologies, we aim to reinforce current standards in pesticide risk analysis, and ultimately propose tools adapted to regulatory needs. », adds Benoît Maisonneuve, Head of Strategic Partnerships and Regulatory Affairs of NETRI.

FAIR data and artificial intelligence at the heart of the project.

In addition to the creation of an in vitro neurotoxicity model, the partnership involves the creation of a FAIR-compliant database (Easy to Find, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable), integrating functional, molecular and cellular measurements. These data will feed artificial intelligence tools designed to improve the relevance of models for predicting the neurotoxic effects of pesticides.

A shared commitment to innovation.

Within this scientific partnership, Anses will contribute its scientific knowledge of pesticides and their mechanisms, while NETRI will contribute its technological platforms and neuro-engineering know-how. This public-private partnership illustrates the commitment of both parties to advancing knowledge through more ethical and effective methods, in response to the growing scientific and societal challenges facing health and the environment.

The collaboration will start in May 2025 for a period of 5 years, and will materialize in the short and medium term through joint doctoral supervision, with the ambition of providing a validated, published and exploitable proof-of-concept on a European scale. The project kick-off meeting took place last week, on Tuesday May 20, at NETRI’s offices.

« Evaluating the toxicity of chemical substances in general, and pesticides in particular, more robustly and rapidly is a priority issue for health agencies. The R&D program undertaken with NETRI aims to verify the relevance of the neurotoxicity data produced by their organ-on-a-chip technology from a scientific and regulatory point of view, as well as their robustness in terms of accuracy and reproducibility, and to develop the digital artificial intelligence tools enabling their analysis. The database resulting from the project will be shared with other health safety institutions at European level, and more widely with other research institutes, notably through the European PARC partnership. This project is also a fantastic opportunity to advance our knowledge of the mechanisms involved in the neurotoxic effects of chemicals present in the environment. » says Guillaume Becker, scientific project manager at the Anses laboratory in Lyon.