The Tyczka family of entrepreneurs is supporting research into restoring vision in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with a donation of one million euros. The funding will support the research project “AI-supported optimisation of vision restoration using retinal implants” at the Department of Ophthalmology at Bonn University Hospital (UKB). The aim of the project is to further develop and optimise the application of innovative retinal implant technology, which recently received European CE marking as a medical device.
Geographic atrophy in age-related macular degeneration is one of the most common causes of progressive central vision loss in older adults. While current pharmacological treatments can only slow disease progression, the subretinal implant offers, for the first time, the prospect of partially restoring lost visual function.
The newly funded research project aims to significantly improve the individual effectiveness of this implant therapy. The central hypothesis is that the functional benefit of implantation can already be predicted before the procedure. Using state-of-the-art imaging technologies such as Adaptive Optics Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscopy (AO-SLO) and high-resolution Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), together with artificial intelligence methods, the researchers aim to create a precise “retinal fingerprint” for each patient. This could make it possible to estimate the expected improvement in vision and the rehabilitation effort required on an individual basis even before surgery.
The funding will enable the establishment of an interdisciplinary team comprising retina specialists, neuro-ophthalmologists, data scientists and clinical study staff. The work packages include systematic follow-up of existing patient cohorts, experimental virtual implantations, the development of predictive AI models, and the translation of research findings into a clinical decision-support system.
“The donation accelerates the path towards personalised medicine with the greatest possible benefit for affected patients. It will allow us to better predict who is likely to benefit most from a retinal implant and to tailor rehabilitation accordingly,” says Prof. Dr. Frank G. Holz, Director of the Department of Ophthalmology at Bonn University Hospital, member of the ImmunoSensation³ Cluster of Excellence at the University of Bonn, and coordinator and principal investigator of the clinical study investigating the safety and efficacy of the new implant technology. The results of this study were recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine (FG Holz et al. NEJM 2026 Jan 15;394(3):232–242).
The results generated as part of the research project will be published in international scientific journals and translated into clinical practice. This could represent an important step towards individually optimised treatment for patients with advanced macular degeneration.
Personal motivation of the Tyczka family of entrepreneurs
The donation comes from the Tyczka family of entrepreneurs, who are continuing an initiative close to the heart of businessman Dr. Hans-Wolfgang Tyczka, who passed away in June of this year. Dr. Hans-Wolfgang Tyczka, who died at the age of 100, was himself affected by age-related visual impairment. He was particularly committed to ensuring that medical progress would benefit future generations and open up new perspectives for those affected.
“My father was convinced that entrepreneurial success also comes with social responsibility. Since he was himself affected by visual impairment, he followed developments in this field of research with great interest. With this donation, we want to fulfil his wish to contribute to ensuring that future generations can benefit from medical innovations,” explains Frederick Tyczka-Christoph on behalf of the Tyczka family, which has been involved in charitable activities for many years. Through the Tyczka Energie Stiftung, the family has also been supporting innovative and sustainable energy solutions for 25 years and funding projects that create added value for society.
Publication
New England Journal of Medicine: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2501396
Editorial: https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMe2514592
Contact
Prof. Dr. Frank Holz
Department of Ophthalmology
Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn
E-mail: frank.holz@ukb.uni-bonn.de
Phone: +49 228 28715647
