scientific advisors
The Scientific Advisory Board
Yves CAZALS, PhD
Honorary President of the Scientific Advisory Board
INSERM Research Director, CNRS UMR7260
Richard SALVI, PhD
SUNY Distinguished Professor at the University at Buffalo – USA
Stéphane MAISON, AuD, PhD
Associate Professor of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at Harvard Medical School Principal Investigator and Clinical Audiologist at Massachusetts Eye and Ear
After 20 years in the study of animal models and sensorineural hearing loss, Dr. Maison acquired formal clinical training and Audiology certification to bring the questions back to human subjects in a clinical context. Using ear-canal electrocochleography, he demonstrated signs of nerve damage in normal-hearing college students who regularly abuse their ears. This type of “hidden hearing loss” refers to cochlear synaptopathy or damage to the connections between the auditory nerve and the sensory cells of the inner ear. Loss of these connections likely contributes to difficulties understanding speech in challenging listening environments, and may also be important in the generation of tinnitus and/or hyperacusis. At present, hidden hearing loss cannot be measured using the standard audiogram; thus, he set out to develop more sensitive measures that can test for this condition. The data he has acquired served as the foundational observations underlying his current project funded by NIH-NIDCD.
Diagnostic measures for cochlear neural degeneration are important because they help us see the full extent of age-related and/or noise-induced damages to the inner ear and are necessary in the assessment of future therapies to 1) provide better speech intelligibility outcomes to hearing aid users, 2) shed a new light on strategies to silence tinnitus and 3) reduce the physiological activity leading to hyperacusis. For all these reasons, I joined CILcare’s scientific advisory board.
Aimo KANNT, PhD
Head of Drug Discovery and Preclinical Research – Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology
Dr. Aimo Kannt is a pharmacologist and drug hunter with more than 20 years of experience in pharmaceutical research and development. As group leader and Head of Department at Sanofi, he led various teams and projects in the fields of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases such as obesity or diabetes and its comorbidities and diabetes. Dr. Kannt is currently the Head of Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology’s Drug Discovery and Preclinical Research unit, whose activities range from early drug discovery to clinical studies in the broad area of inflammatory and immune-mediated diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases.
I am very happy to join CILcare’s Scientific Advisory Board and to support the company’s quest to develop innovative therapeutics to improve the life of countless patients with ear diseases.
Dona JAYAKODY, PhD, AuD
Senior Researcher and Research Lead for Cognition and Hearing Loss at the Ear Science Institute Australia
Dr Dona Jayakody is a researcher and clinical audiologist at the Ear Science Institute Australia whose work focuses on identifying causal association between hearing loss and dementia. Dr Jayakody is currently leading HearCog, a control trial that investigates the use of hearing aids to treat hearing loss in older adults with dementia. She also took part as a co-investigator in several studies around the world, all revolving around hearing loss and mild cognitive impairment.
Keith DARROW, AuD, PhD,
Director and Founder of the Hearing and Brain Centers of America and Excellence in Audiology
Dr. Keith Darrow is an audiologist and researcher whose published articles have been cited over 1,000 times. Dr. Darrow specializes in the prevention of cognitive decline and dementia, combining his love for auditory research with his intimate knowledge of the brain. He has written articles and books on the neuroscience of hearing loss and tinnitus as well as on correlated diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension. Not only has Dr. Darrow been teaching at the Worcester State University for over 12 years, but he also has been advocating for patient care through Excellence in Audiology and the Hearing and Brain Centers of America.
I joined CILcare’s Scientific Advisory Board to continue my advocacy and contributions towards helping the +500 million people worldwide access hearing healthcare and maintain cognitive health as they age.
Dr. Jérôme NEVOUX, ENT
Surgeon & Researcher
Dr. Jérôme Nevoux is an accomplished ENT surgeon and researcher with over 15 years of clinical experience, specializing in hearing loss and auditory disorders. He previously conducted groundbreaking research at Harvard on auditory neuropathy, where he identified the synapse between cochlear afferent neurons and sensory hair cells as a vulnerable component of the auditory pathway. By blocking the repulsive axonal guidance molecule RGMa with an antibody, Dr. Nevoux’s team successfully regenerated inner hair cell synapses in noise-exposed animals, improving auditory function and offering new hope for reversing synaptopathy in hearing loss patients.
Currently, Dr. Nevoux leads innovative research, teaches, and practices as an ENT surgeon at CHU Bicêtre in Paris. His research focuses on discovering novel molecules to promote auditory neuron regeneration, with a particular emphasis on the clinical development of CIL001, paving the way for new treatments for hearing loss that cannot be addressed by conventional hearing aids or implants.
Saïd BEKKA
Endocrinologist and diabetologist
Dr. Saïd Bekka is an experienced endocrinologist and diabetologist, and one of the co-founders of the Institute of Diabetology and Nutrition of the Centre (INDC), France, which opened in 2016. Passionate about the role of physical activity in managing diabetes, Dr. Bekka integrates modern technologies and works within a multidisciplinary team of 70 professionals to provide comprehensive care and support for diabetic and obese patients.
With a particular interest in diabetes-related pathologies, Dr. Bekka was involved in the Diamant clinical study, which aimed to assess the hearing profiles and cochlear synaptopathy in diabetic patients—often-overlooked complications of diabetes—with the goal of improving care and quality of life for affected individuals
Frédéric VENAIL, M.D. Ph.D. ENT
Surgeon and Professor of Otorhinolaryngology
Dr. Venail is a distinguished ENT surgeon and researcher, recognized for his contributions to the field of auditory disorders. He was awarded the Prix Émergence Scientifique in 2020 for his pioneering work in preventing cochlear fibrosis after cochlear implant surgery. With over 15 years of clinical experience, he specializes in the management and surgical treatment of hearing loss.
After obtaining his PhD in neuroscience from the University of Montpellier (2008), Professor Venail completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Iowa Institute of Human Genetics, USA. He is now Professor of Universities-Hospital Practitioner and leads the medical Otology / Neurotology team at CHU Gui de Chauliac in Montpellier. Professor Venail leads groundbreaking research at the interface of neuroscience and medicine, focusing on innovative therapeutic strategies for hearing loss and cochlear implants, and is actively involved in Cilcare’s clinical trials.
Jean-Hugues MASGNAUX
Physician & strategic consultant
Jean-Hugues Masgnaux is the founder of his own consulting company, established 15 years ago, where he specializes in helping healthcare clients anticipate new challenges. His consultancy provides strategic guidance on key issues such as market access, RWE data, patients’ care networks, health authorities liaison and negotiation, general management in pharma and biotech companies, and more. Jean-Hugues also offers a network of experienced advisers with in-depth expertise in healthcare markets.
A physician and graduate of HEC, Jean-Hugues has extensive experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors. He has developed operational expertise in bridging the gap between R&D and business, as well as in entrepreneurial mindset, strong interfacing abilities with scientific teams, restructuring and developing subsidiaries towards success, and business development. His expertise also extends to marketing and operational strategy, team leadership, and sales force effectiveness.
Scientific Advisors
Alan FOSTER, PhD
Scientific Advisor
Alan Foster is an internationally recognized expert in pharmacology with a strong background in otologic and neurologic disease areas. He most recently served as Chief Scientific Officer at Otonomy, a US-based biotech dedicated to the development of innovative therapeutics for neurotology. He notably contributed to pioneering the application of drug delivery technology to the ear in order to develop products that achieve sustained drug exposure from a single local administration. Alan Foster’s cutting-edge research and strong understanding of the challenges of drug development for inner ear diseases will greatly benefit CILcare’s development programs.
Thomas GERBAUD, PhD
Acting as Chief Data Officer
Thomas Gerbaud is the Managing Director of AltGR, a company specializing in leveraging all types of data to develop data acceleration programs and AI solutions. With more than 15 years of expertise in AI and machine learning, Dr Gerbaud is responsible of supervising and piloting CILcare’s strategy and operations related to data and databases. He is bringing a unique experience to accelerate CILcare’s projects related to auditory signatures and AI.
