CILcare is pleased to announce the promotion of Dr. Cyrille SAGE to the position of Director of CILcare’s US operations. In his new role, Dr. Sage will be responsible for overseeing all operations performed at CILcare Inc. in Lexington, MA, ranging from ex vivo assays to GLP regulatory compliant ototoxicity studies in both rodents and large animals.
CILcare’s US site is dedicated to auditory preclinical assays which are performed in a GLP and AAALAC accredited facility*. Its service portfolio includes specific techniques related to the auditory field, including pharmacokinetic studies with perilymph sampling, assays on cochlear explants, cochlear implantation on mini-swine and guinea pigs, tympanic tube positioning, and gene & cell delivery into the inner ear. Robust and validated animal models such as otitis in chinchilla and guinea pigs, or noise and drug-induced hearing loss models, allow to assess the efficacy and safety of drug candidates following local or systemic administration. CILcare also custom tests programs that are designed with the client’s goals in mind.
“Dr Sage is a key contributor to CILcare as he has extensive knowledge and experience in in vivo research & development, specifically focused on the inner ear; his strategic vision and excellence in inner ear biology will be a great added-value to help us continue to evolve our service offerings” said Marie-Pierre Pasdelou, Chief Regulatory Officer and co-founder.
“I am thrilled to be part of the management team and look forward to leveraging my experience to support our Sponsors’ needs. Hearing loss is still a large unmet medical need with a prevalence that is dramatically increasing worldwide. We should put all our effort into advancing new therapies which will transform the lives of millions of patients. Various strategies to protect or regenerate hair cells are the subject of intensive global research. They require a fine understanding of the cellular and molecular pathways involved in ear disorders and a highly trained team of scientists, notably to deliver drugs into the inner ear: the cochlea is one of the most inaccessible areas for therapeutic intervention.”
“Cyrille is an expert in molecular pathways, biology and microsurgery, which are at the heart of our science, and he is a tremendous addition to our management team” adds Celia Belline, CEO and co-founder of CILcare.
Dr. Sage joined CILcare in 2017 with 22 years of experience in inner hair cell research and gene therapy. He was a member of the team who lead the way for hair cell regeneration through hair cell division. Recently he was among the first team developing gene therapy for the inner ear. He is the co-author of numerous publications.
*CBSET’s facility