Neurobiologist Catherine Belzung (Professor of Neuroscience, UMR1253 Inserm iBrain, Tours) and philosopher Maël Lemoine (Professor of Philosophy of the Medical Sciences, Université de Bordeaux) worked together on the criteria of validity for animal models of mood and anxiety disorders for 10 years. Since then, their views have developed. This presentation explains what the results of the collaboration was, and then presents how to apply this conceptual framework to current research and how they are trying to expand it beyond its original domain of application.