Agence de la biomédecine publishes its 2024 activity report: a year of commitment, innovation and challenges to be met
Published on 7 April 2025
Agence de la biomédecine announces the publication of its 2024 Activity Report. This document presents an overview of the Agency's activities, highlighting significant advances, new initiatives, challenges and future prospects in the fields of organ, tissue and cell procurement and transplantation, as well as medically assisted procreation (MAP), medical genetics and embryology.
New tools for professionals
The Agency has pursued its role of providing information, overseeing medical practices, guaranteeing fairness and supporting research, with new measures aimed at improving solidarity chains, from donation to patient. These include
- Organization of the first Biovigilance Days on March 21 and 22, 2024;
- Introduction of a new single tool for remote declaration of vigilance;
- Creation of an e-learning vade-mecum for Regional Health Agency (ARS) referents, to harmonize practices across the country and strengthen collaboration with ARS in the agency's areas of competence.
Organ and tissue donation: between challenges and progress
- The first triplet cross-donation took place in France in 2024, coordinated by the Agence de la biomédecine. This medical and logistical feat marks a major advance in kidney transplantation.
- The publication in October 2024 of recommendations to govern advance directives for organ and tissue donation aims to reduce the rate of opposition to donation.
A new tool for bone marrow donation
In April 2024, the Agence de la biomédecine launched the redesigned version of Syrenad, the national bone marrow donor search system. With nearly 400,000 registered donors and over 2,000 patients registered for bone marrow transplants to track in real time, this redesign marks a strategic step forward for the agency and its partners. Syrenad plays a central role in identifying compatible unrelated donors and organizing bone marrow transplants.
A major coordination effort to anticipate the end of anonymous gamete donation
In 2024, the Agence de la biomédecine spearheaded an unprecedented operation to organize the transfer of over 10,000 sperm straws between donation centers in France. This initiative, unprecedented in its scale, enabled resources to be pooled to reduce waiting times for PGD with sperm donation. It was also aimed at anticipating the March 31, 2025 deadline, by which time stocks of sperm straws built up before the entry into force of the access to origins regime would no longer be usable. In addition, for the 1st time in 2024, the Agency organized the #FaitesDesParents operation, a tour of 10 French towns to raise awareness and recruit new gamete donors. These "outreach" actions helped double the number of applications received by the donation centers mobilized for the tour.
Harmonization of practices for preimplantation diagnosis
In June 2024, a decree formalized good practice recommendations for preimplantation diagnosis (PGD), harmonizing the practices of the five authorized centers in France. These recommendations ensure rigorous and equitable care for the patients concerned.