EPFL co-leads a BRIDGE Discovery Grant for vision restoration project
Philippe Büchler (University of Bern), Dominque Pioletti (EPFL) and Ferda Canbaz (University of Basel). © University of Bern
Dominique Pioletti, head of the Laboratory of Biomechanical Orthopedics in the School of Engineering, is part of a multidisciplinary team co-led by EPFL that has received a BRIDGE Discovery Grant for a hydrogel-based approach to vision restoration.
The BRIDGE Discovery Grant, a joint initiative of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and Innosuisse, supports experienced researchers at Swiss institutions in developing innovative ideas with strong translational potential.
This autumn, Dominique Pioletti, director of the Laboratory of Biomechanical Orthopedics (EPFL), Philippe Büchler, head of the Computational Bioengineering group (University of Bern), and Ferda Canbaz, Department of Biomedical Engineering (University of Basel) were awarded a BRIDGE Discovery Grant in the program’s 9th call. The team will receive CHF 2 million in funding over four years to pursue their shared vision of restoring sight through biomechanical and biomaterial innovations.
“This project brings together complementary expertise — from optics and materials to biomechanics and surgery — to offer new hope of vision restoration for patients who currently have no viable treatment options," Pioletti says.
Their collaborative effort aims to establish a new surgical treatment based on hydrogel augmentation for patients whose corneas are too thin, weak, or irregular for conventional laser refractive surgery. Unlike existing laser-based procedures that remove tissue and further weaken the cornea, this minimally invasive approach restores vision by augmenting and reinforcing the cornea. By precisely injecting patient-specific hydrogel, the method forms customized in situ corneal implants that restore optical quality and biomechanical stability. This innovation could make vision correction accessible to patients previously deemed ineligible for laser surgery—offering a safe, personalized, and durable solution for refractive vision loss.
The project team is supported by partners Georg Rauter (BIROMED-Lab, University of Basel) and Theo G. Seiler (Department of Ophthalmology, Inselspital, University Hospital Bern).