On Tuesday, February 11, GenoTher’s founders and partners gathered at Genopole to lay the cornerstone for the biocluster’s roll-out, in the presence of the French National Research Agency (ANR) and the Agency for Health Innovation . This event follows the agreement between GenoTher and the French National Research Agency, and brought together some one hundred participants to lay the foundations for an ambitious, structuring and innovation-driven collaboration.
GenoTher’s ambition is to position France as a key leader in gene therapy. Underpinned by close collaboration between the main players in the sector, this biocluster aims to accelerate the transition from scientific advances to tangible, patient-accessible therapeutic solutions.
Benoît Labarthe, Head of Research and Technology Transfer at Agency for Health Innovation , opened the meeting by presenting the France 2030 healthcare programs and highlighting the French government’s expectations of bioclusters supported under the call for expressions of interest, of which GenoTher was also a winner.
Angela Columbano, interim CEO of GenoTher reviewed the fundamentals of the Biocluster and outlined the challenges and opportunities ahead. 2025 will be a year of ramp-up and consolidation for GenoTher, notably with the launch of several cutting-edge technology platforms, the incubation program and initiatives to promote training and the attractiveness of the sector. 2025 will also be a key year for building strong synergies with other bioclusters.
Emmanuelle Simon, Head of Health and Biology Programs at the French National Research Agency (ANR), presented the administrative and financial details of the call for expressions of interest to the biocluster partners.
Frédéric Revah, President of GenoTher and CEO of Genethon, emphasized the strategic importance of the GenoTher biocluster’s visibility for therapeutic innovation in France. “To meet both national and international challenges, it is essential that GenoTher functions as a coherent and synergistic whole. This is the mindset that must guide the launch of the first operational phases. The success of this biocluster depends on our ability to work together,” he concluded.
With its ambition to develop a dozen gene therapies for rare and common diseases, GenoTher represents a unique strike force for meeting the scientific, technological and economic challenges of gene therapy.
The founders would like to thank the partners and teams whose commitment has made the GenoTher project a reality. Their support is essential to ensure its successful deployment over the coming months