At IOB, we address critical unmet needs in global eye health through an integrated approach spanning fundamental, translational, and clinical research. Our work encompasses the entire spectrum of expertise in visual science, from molecules to treatments. Four core research capabilities underpin our efforts across five major disease areas.

Fundamental research

IOB’s fundamental research aims to understand how vision works and what goes wrong in eye diseases. Our researchers explore questions like:

• How do cells in the retina, thalamus, superior colliculus, visual cortex, and other brain regions work together to create what we see?
• How does each type of cell process specific visual information?
• How do proteins within these cells collaborate to keep them functioning properly?
• And, critically, what happens inside cells when they malfunction or die in diseases that cause vision loss?

Clinical research

IOB’s clinical researchers focus on understanding visual diseases in patients. They ask essential questions such as:

• How does a specific disease progress over time?
• How can we measure whether a treatment is working?
• At what stage of disease would a therapy be most effective?
• Which groups of patients should participate in clinical trials?
• Can we identify distinct subtypes of a disease that might respond differently to treatment?

Translational research

IOB’s translational scientists bridge the gap between laboratory discoveries and real-world patient care. They take insights from both fundamental and clinical research and transform them into new diagnostics, therapies, and treatments that can actually be used in hospitals and clinics to improve patients’ lives.

Our research process

A unique feature of IOB is its four research cores, which support most research efforts across the institute. Each core comprises scientific groups and platforms that provide IOB researchers with access to cutting-edge technical infrastructure and specialized expertise.

Medical Needs

Explore the patient medical needs IOB researchers are addressing as they advance the development of innovative therapies and treatments.

See all medical needs

Research Groups and Technology Platforms

Explore IOB’s research groups and cutting-edge technology platforms that drive our work in vision science.

See all groups and platforms