Lyon, France, March 25, 2025– NETRI, an industrial start-up specializing in neuro organs-on-chip combined with AI, announces the acquisition of HCS PHARMA assets. This strategic operation is fully in line with NETRI’s development plan and strengthens its technological offering by integrating patented innovations in biomaterials and advanced cellular models.

Key technological integration for NETRI.

The patents filed by HCS PHARMA, alone or jointly, fall directly within the scope of NETRI’s activities, which will exploit them by developing the associated inventions. This acquisition includes in particular:

• Patents on the process for preparing hydrogels from modified hyaluronic acid and type I collagen to provide human based scaffolds for 3D cell cultures,
• Patents relating to processes for manufacturing liver organoids, as well as the organoids obtained and their uses.

NETRI will be now able to enrich its offering by coupling its platforms (NeuroFluidics DuaLink Well & DuaLink Well MEA and MultiFluidics Duplex Link & Duplex Link MEA) with the hydrogels developed by HCS PHARMA to allow a full innervation and vascularization of any human derived spheroids or organoids. This combination will pave the way for multi-organs, innervated and vascularized three-dimensional cell cultures, offering major advances in biotechnology and pharmaceutical research.

Applications in oncology for side effects assessment and pain management.

The patent on liver organoids will also enable NETRI to address use cases in toxicology, by combining this technology with its neuro-organs-on-chip to explore the effects of molecules on the human liver, or the metabolism of compounds by the human liver. Such methods will support future development programs as part of a complete integrated screening platform for adverse events in oncology, including neuropathic pain, cardiac and brain effects.

Backed by its network of partners, NETRI expects to be able to exploit these patents commercially within six months for all applications. The integration of this new technology in NETRI’s pipeline will be showcased at the MPS World Summit conference, June 9-13 in Brussels, Belgium.

An industrial project supported by a new infrastructure.

In addition to intangible assets, NETRI will also integrate the production of the scaffold in its new premises, including production units operational since January 2025.

This new 1,500 m² plant, designed to increase NETRI’s production capacity, will also accommodate hydrogel manufacturing, reinforcing the company’s industrial ramp-up.

Thanks to this expansion and the support of national authorities, NETRI is pursuing its development by structuring an ambitious project to accelerate drug development, support pharmaceutical research and offer cutting-edge solutions to the healthcare industry.