15.4 million Swiss francs for five clinical trials on under-researched topics
Optimised treatment following strokes or less invasive procedures for heart defects: As part of the IICT programme, the SNSF is funding five clinical trials. Patients were involved in the selection of the projects.
Glucocorticoids are highly effective medicinal products used to treat asthma, arthritis and autoimmune diseases. They can save lives, but they can also cause serious side effects such as diabetes. Eleonora Seelig from University Hospital Basel and her team are looking into whether these risks can be reduced by administering a commonly used diabetes medication at the same time. Meanwhile, Lisa Christ from Inselspital Bern and her team are investigating how effective a shortened course of cortisone treatment is for vasculitis, which is inflammation of the blood vessels.
51 projects submitted
These are two of the five projects that the SNSF is funding with a grant of 15.4 million Swiss francs as part of the Investigator Initiated Clinical Trials (IICT) programme (see box for the other three projects). These clinical trials are investigating issues of social and medical relevance that are not, however, a priority for the pharmaceutical industry. The IICT programme is focused on areas that are under-researched, but that are relevant for patients.
A total of 51 eligible projects were submitted in response to the 2025 IICT call for proposals. The researchers will now spend up to five years working on their clinical trials. Between 224 and 1,500 patients are involved in each project.
Taking the needs of those affected into account
Since 2015, the SNSF has funded a total of 68 clinical trials through the IICT programme. For this call for proposals as well, six patients were involved in selecting the best projects. "The discussions with these six people are valued by the members of the evaluation panel. They bring the perspectives and specific needs of those affected to the table," says Caroline Krüger, head of the IICT programme at the SNSF.
The next call for proposals is already open. In May 2026, researchers announced their intention to take part. They must submit their proposals by 3 November 2026.
Stroke, antibiotics, heart disease
Every year, around 10,000 people in Switzerland suffer a stroke. The only established treatment option for small vascular occlusions is drug therapy. Marios Psychogios from University Hospital Basel and Urs Fischer from Inselspital Bern are investigating two minimally invasive treatment methods. Both of these procedures involve inserting a thin tube via the groin or the wrist to reach the blocked blood vessels in the brain. The aim is to determine which of the three treatment methods works best for which patients.
After intestinal infections or abdominal surgery, patients can suffer from serious abdominal infections. If this occurs, they are often put on a long-term course of intravenous antibiotics. Baharak Babouee Flury and Philipp Kohler from St. Gallen Cantonal Hospital and their team are testing an alternative tablet-based treatment using a more recent antibiotic. The aim is to find out how effective this treatment is, whether it shortens hospital stays, what effect it has on the intestinal flora, and how quickly antibiotic resistance may ensue.
The aortic valve regulates the flow of blood from the heart to the rest of the body. People with bicuspid aortic valve disease (BAVD) have only two, rather than three, valve leaflets in the aortic valve. BAVD often leads to narrowing of the aortic valve. Open-heart surgery then has to be carried out to replace the valve. A new treatment method is less invasive transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), in which a thin catheter is inserted via the groin. Matthias Siepe and Stephan Windecker from Inselspital Bern and their team aim to find out whether this treatment method is just as safe and effective in the long term.