Published May 5, 2026
Big news from one of our members. At this week's SelectUSA Investment Summit in National Harbor, Maryland, French-American biotech Cilcare unveiled a triple-header of U.S. expansion moves, all anchored right here in Massachusetts.
For French Tech Boston, this is exactly the kind of momentum we love to see: a French biotech deepening its roots in our ecosystem, partnering with world-class Boston institutions, and opening the door for other international companies looking to follow the same path.
Here's what was announced.
A first U.S. clinical trial for CIL001 at Massachusetts General Hospital
Tinnitus affects roughly 50 million Americans (about 15% of the population) and more than 750 million people worldwide. Despite that staggering footprint, there is currently no approved pharmacological treatment, a gap that has become one of the defining unmet needs in modern neuroscience.
Cilcare is preparing to change that. The company is launching a clinical trial of its drug candidate CIL001 at Massachusetts General Hospital, in partnership with the team of Professor Stéphane Maison, an internationally recognized expert in auditory neurosciences. CIL001 targets cochlear synaptopathy, a key mechanism behind early hearing disorders and tinnitus, and is entering phase 2a evaluation as a potentially disease-modifying therapy.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey welcomed the announcement, framing Cilcare's expansion and the MGH trial as a reflection of the strength of the state's life sciences ecosystem and the partnerships that turn breakthrough science into real therapies for patients.
A nine-year partnership with CBSET, now scaling up
Since 2017, Cilcare has worked closely with CBSET, the Massachusetts-based preclinical research institute, generating thousands of data points on novel hearing therapies and gene therapy approaches. With a major investment from Arlington Capital Partners, CBSET is now tripling its laboratory capacity, which directly expands Cilcare's own U.S. research footprint in hearing science.
"Our partnership with CBSET is far more than a contractual relationship," said Cilcare CEO Celia Belline. "It is a true engine of joint translational research."
A new landing pad for international biotechs
Perhaps the most ecosystem-relevant piece for our community: Cilcare and CBSET are now offering a turnkey landing model for foreign biotechs, medtechs, technology platforms, and academic labs looking for their first U.S. foothold. The package includes access to advanced preclinical platforms, regulatory support, networking with U.S. academic centers, and access to office and lab space.
In other words, the same path Cilcare itself walked nearly a decade ago is now available to the next wave of international companies, with Massachusetts as the entry point. Eric Paley, Massachusetts Secretary of Economic Development, situated the announcement within the state's broader Mass Wins legislation and GlobalMass strategy, both designed to support international companies setting up in the Commonwealth.
Why this matters for French Tech Boston
This announcement is a textbook example of what makes our ecosystem distinctive: French scientific excellence, Boston's life sciences density, and the kind of long-term partnerships that turn a single bet (Cilcare in 2017) into a platform that benefits an entire generation of companies coming after.
Bravo to the Cilcare team, and to everyone at MGH, CBSET, and across the Massachusetts ecosystem helping to make this possible.
Learn more about Cilcare at cilcare.com and CBSET at cbset.com.