In a nutshell, how would you describe your work today?

My work is divided between my primary activity—research—as the director of the Decision and Bayesian Computation – Epimethee laboratory (Pasteur Institute, Inria, CNRS, UPC); my involvement with the Pr[AI]rie Institute; and my role as the CSO of Avatar Medical, a spinoff from our laboratory.

What is your academic and professional background? Was there a defining moment or a key encounter that shaped your career?

I am a theoretical physicist by training, and I completed my PhD at Polytechnique under the supervision of Guilhem Gallot. Thanks to Antoine Danchin, I had the opportunity to meet Massimo Vergassola, whom I later joined at the Pasteur Institute. This was an extraordinary encounter—working for and alongside him was an incredibly formative experience. Another key meeting was with Marta Zlatic (Janelia Research Campus), who introduced me to the Drosophila larva as a model system in neuroscience. I have been leading a laboratory at the Pasteur Institute since 2017, and in 2024, we also became an Inria project team.

Could you briefly explain what Avatar Medical is? Who is this technology for, and what problem does it solve?

Avatar Medical is a spinoff from the Pasteur Institute and Curie Institute, originating from the postdoctoral research of Mohamed El Beheiry team. It provides solutions for medical image visualization and analysis using volumetric rendering on various platforms, including virtual reality and 3D screens. The startup addresses several challenges, such as surgical planning for surgeons, patient engagement strategies that help doctors explain procedures to patients, and medical education at all levels.

What motivated you to take the leap into entrepreneurship in the healthtech sector?

A company must back an algorithmic solution to reach patients and doctors. We embarked on this adventure with Mohamed and Elodie Brient Litzler, who supported our project within the Pasteur Institute’s technology transfer office, led by Isabelle Buckle.

Have you used France-BioImaging services?

For me, France-BioImaging is above all a discussion community. Throughout this project—originally called DIVA and initially focused on microscopy—I benefited from the network for discussions, publications, and access to alpha and beta testers for our technologies and algorithms.

What were the main technical or regulatory challenges in transitioning from a lab technology to a commercial solution?

With a strong team, challenges become manageable. Under the leadership of the founders—Xavier Wartelle (CEO), Elodie Brient Litzler (COO), Mohamed El Beheiry (CTO), Marie Buhot-Launay (Sales), and myself—Avatar Medical built a highly competent team. There were a few technical challenges, as the technology was already mature. The main focus was on developing the right strategy and expertise first to obtain FDA approval and then CE marking. The real challenges lie in integrating our solution into hospital workflows, maximising its usefulness for doctors and patients, and positioning it effectively within the industrial value chain.

You are a researcher at the Pasteur Institute, a lab director, and the CSO of Avatar Medical. How do you balance all these responsibilities?

It depends on the period—sometimes better than others! The workload is significant but manageable with good organisation, allowing me to remain relatively efficient. Occasionally, the accumulation of different pressures and the desire to do everything as well as possible can be challenging.

What are the next challenges and ambitions for Avatar Medical?

This is a particularly exciting time (which helps me take my mind off current events), as Avatar Medical is experiencing significant growth with numerous new clients, successful projects, and new installations. We now offer several software solutions across multiple platforms, and we need to build on this momentum. The major challenge for 2025 will be less about algorithms and more about expanding our “patient engagement” solutions in the United States.