about Genoskin
Advancing human-relevant research with real human skin models
At Genoskin, we bridge the gap between lab research & human biology
We deliver human-relevant data that de-risks R&D pipelines and reduces reliance on animal testing
Medical device tolerance
Mission, vision & values
As only 10% of drug development projects actually make it to the market, we decided to place our expertise in skin biology and immunology at the core of our approach.
We partner with pharmaceutical and biotech companies to accelerate drug development, ensuring patients receive faster access to new treatments. We extend this expertise to consumer goods and cosmetics companies, helping them bring trusted, high-quality products to market. Genoskin couples its unique human skin platforms with hi-tech tools and artificial intelligence. We increasingly focus on immunocompetent human skin that yields human data to help drug and product development projects move forward.
Mission
Enable safer, and more ethical therapeutic & product development with human-relevant models.
Vision
A future where medical innovation no longer solely relies on animal testing, but on predictive human-based data.
Values
Innovation
Collaboration
Human relevance.
Genoskin history
Our expertise
Scientific expertise
Ex vivo human skin platforms combined with extensive immunology expertise and recognized by peer-reviewed research and publications.
What we deliver
Supporting drug developers, cosmetic innovators, and medical device manufacturers with local toxicity, vaccine research, topical delivery, and safety testing.
Global reach
Operations in France and the US, serving customers and partners around the world.
Proven impact
+90 scientific publications citing Genoskin technology, collaborations with leading academic and industry experts, and recognition as a European growth leader.
Our executive team
Pascal Descargues, PhD
Founder, CEO
About our CEO & Founder
About our CEO & Founder
Pascal is the founder and CEO of Genoskin. Before launching the company 11 years ago, Pascal had acquired over 15 years of experience in research on the development and characterization of pathological skin models. He holds a PhD in Pathophysiology from the University of Toulouse, France. He also holds Master’s Degree in Management from Toulouse Business School.
Back in 2009, as a researcher in skin biology and rare skin diseases, Pascal realized that animals are not replicating human biology effectively enough. He also realized that thousands of human skin samples discarded from plastic surgeries every year, could be used to help researchers to discover new drugs and avoid animal experimentation.
Pascal saw the opportunity to use an abundantly available resource without having to harm animals and without having to support all the costs associated with animal experimentation. Discarded human skin samples are precious, because they’re human, more reliable and can help researchers to reduce development cost and time to get drugs to market by offering access to reliable human data.
Frederick Roques
Chief Financial Officer
Meet our Chief Financial Officer
Meet our Chief Financial Officer
Frederick is French-American with 20 years of experience in international finance, most recently as Executive Director at EY. Working on both the External Audit and Consultancy Practices at EY, Frederick has managed projects around the world and specializes in global digital transformation.
With his multi-sector and multi-standard (PCG, IFRS, US GAAP) experience, he continues to structure, transform and optimize the financial aspects of Genoskin. Also taking an active part in the general administration, Frederick structures the back office to leverage the continual growth of Genoskin through modern tools and process optimization.
Frederick holds a Masters in Finance, Accounting and Business Administration from the University of Toulouse and is a licensed French Accountant and External Auditor.
Vicky Tourte
HR & Administrative Director
Meet our HR & Administrative Director
Meet our Chief Financial Officer
After a series of enriching work experiences abroad, Vicky moved back to France to start her own company. She established her reputation working for a wide range of companies while combining her humane values with a rigorous approach.
Vicky started her career at Genoskin in 2015, as a Consultant in Administration and Human Resources. At the start, she essentially helped out with accountancy and administrative issues. In 2017, she joined the company full-time, where her work gradually evolved to include finance and human resources. She now is our HR and Administrative Director, supervising all HR matters. Together with our CFO, she also manages our administrative team.
Nicolas Gaudenzio, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer
Meet our Chief Scientific Officer
Meet our Chief Scientific Officer
Dr Gaudenzio completed his PhD in 2012 at the University of Toulouse, France, and holds a doctorate in immunology. Following his post-doctorate in the Department of Pathology at Stanford University (CA, USA), he now heads a large Inserm cross-disciplinary research group, which was awarded a Starting Grant from the European Research Council (ERC) in 2018. His work has contributed substantially to identifying molecular and cellular targets involved in allergic and non-allergic inflammation and to the development of new data analysis processes to study preclinical models and clinical samples from patients. In 2021, Dr Gaudenzio received the prestigious ACTERIA Early Career Research Prize in Allergology awarded every two years by the European Federation of Immunological Societies (EFIS) and the award of physiology and medicine from the French Academy of Sciences in Lyon, France.
Dr Gaudenzio’s work has been published in prestigious scientific journals such as Nature Immunology, Nature Medicine, Cell, Science, Nature Communications and others. He is a member of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) and the French Society for Immunology (SFI).
Anna Falkovsky
Vice President of Sales
Meet our VP of Sales
Meet our VP of Sales
Anna joined Genoskin in 2022 to lead our global sales and business development teams, bringing with her 20 years of business development and leadership experience in the Biotech industry and non-clinical CRO field. Anna began her career in academic research at Thomas Jefferson University, resulting in several publications. Subsequently transitioning into the private sector, Anna held roles of increasing commercial scope and responsibility for major biotechnology companies including ThermoFisher Scientific, Qiagen and EMD Millipore. Most recently, Anna was Head of US Sales and Technical Support (Catalog Products) at Genscript. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biochemistry and a Master’s Degree in Microbiology. Anna’s leadership ensures that the Genoskin sales team provides our clients with thoughtful and tailored guidance, identifying the leading edge of Genoskin products in order to best support their specific research needs.
Lorna Santos, PhD
Vice President of Research & Product Development
Meet our VP of Research & Product Development
Meet our VP of Research & Product Development
Lorna holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Cell Biology and Genetics from the University of British Columbia. She completed her PhD in Immunology & Cellular and Molecular Biology at the same institution. Following her doctoral studies, Lorna conducted postdoctoral research in Cellular Immunology at the University of Washington Medical School.
Transitioning from academia to the commercial sector, Lorna began her career as a Product Manager at prominent biotechnology and preclinical CRO companies, including Cell Signaling Technology, Abcam, and Charles River Labs. She then advanced to director-level positions, where she successfully led and grew global teams at Crown Bioscience and Akoya Bioscience.
In July 2023, Lorna joined the Genoskin team as the VP of Research & Product Development, bringing with her over 15 years of expertise in research, product development, marketing, and product management.
