Human-relevant models
Designing biological systems that answer a precise drug-development question — simple enough to standardise, rich enough to translate.
Scientist · Entrepreneur · Industry Builder
Building the path from human biology to better drug decisions.
I am Thibault Honegger, PhD — CEO and co-founder of NETRI, founding President of IAMPS, and an advocate for rigorous, scalable New Approach Methodologies.
01 / PERSPECTIVE
The next preclinical standard
NAMs should not be defined by what they replace, but by the decisions they improve.
Human-relevant models can close part of the translational gap only if they move beyond scientific demonstrations. They must produce robust evidence in a defined context of use, integrate existing workflows and deliver an interpretable signal.
My work sits at that intersection: neuroengineering, microphysiological systems, industrial product development and regulatory adoption. The goal is concrete — help drug developers identify efficacy and safety signals earlier, with greater relevance to patients.
Preclinical safety
Using innervated tissues and functional readouts to detect liabilities earlier and reduce late-stage attrition.
Industrial adoption
Turning promising laboratory models into reproducible workflows, evidence packages and scalable products.
Regulatory strategy
Connecting developers, end users and public bodies around validation, qualification and fit-for-purpose use.
02 / LEADERSHIP
From individual innovation to collective infrastructure
European industry
Founding President, IAMPS
The Industry Alliance for Microphysiological Systems brings European MPS companies together to advance standardisation, regulatory dialogue, data sharing and industrial competitiveness.
Discover IAMPS ↗French ecosystem
Co-leading the organs-on-chip sector initiative
Contributing through France Biotech to the national structuring of the organs-on-chip field, connecting industry, research, regulators and public policy.
Company building
CEO & Co-founder, NETRI
Building an industrial platform that combines microfluidic hardware, human cells, functional readouts and data analysis for drug discovery and preclinical safety.
NETRI leadership ↗03 / SPEAKING
Selected 2026 engagements
Taking the adoption conversation into the rooms where science, regulation and industry meet.
MPS World Summit
Washington, D.C.
Industry dialogue on adoption, qualification and scale-up of microphysiological systems.
Merck Digital Sciences Studio Open House
Rahway, New Jersey
Scientific exchange on human-relevant approaches for preclinical safety.
Amgen × NSG Bio Golden Ticket
Singapore
Award ceremony and presentation of NETRI’s translational platform strategy.
France Biotech NAMs webinar
Online
Industry perspective on New Approach Methodologies and their path to adoption.
MDSS Boston Showcase & Open House
Boston, Massachusetts
Preclinical safety, digital sciences and collaborative development of fit-for-purpose models.
BioJapan
Yokohama, Japan
Building industrial partnerships for the deployment of organs-on-chip in Japan.
Selection prepared from confirmed external engagements in the professional calendar. Publication details should be reviewed before making the site public.
04 / BACKGROUND
Scientific roots. Entrepreneurial execution.
A career built across disciplines — and across the boundary between research and deployment.
Engineer from École Centrale de Nantes, with a Master’s in biotechnology and a PhD in electrical engineering from Université Grenoble Alpes. After postdoctoral research at MIT on in-vitro neural networks, I led microfluidic neuroengineering research at CNRS before moving fully into entrepreneurship.
- 30+
- peer-reviewed scientific papers
- 8
- patents as inventor
- MIT
- postdoctoral research
- 2018
- NETRI co-founded in Lyon
ResearchNeural networks, microfluidics and bioengineering
TranslationFrom prototypes to standardised human models
IndustryProducts, partnerships and regulatory adoption