Klaus Faber Foundation donates 1.2 million euros

Establishment of a "Klaus Faber Centre for Corneal Diseases integrating the LIONS Eye Bank" at the university eye clinic Homburg/Saar.

On Monday, 22 January 2018, the management of the Klaus Faber Foundation, board members of the Saarland University Hospital, and the director of the eye clinic there, Prof. Dr. Berthold Seitz, signed a sponsorship agreement in Homburg for the establishment of a "Klaus Faber Centre for Corneal Diseases integrating the LIONS Eye Bank". The foundation is enabling the creation of the centre at the University Hospital's eye clinic with a donation of 1.2 million euros.

A further intensification of the working focus on corneal diseases at the University Hospital's eye clinic had been discussed between the charitable Klaus Faber Foundation and director of the eye clinic at Saarland University Hospital, Prof. Seitz, in July 2017.

The Klaus Faber Foundation is a partner of Saarbrücken-based Klaus Faber AG, one of Europe's largest cable distributors and a top provider in the cable and wire industry. The foundation supports suitable projects in medical research and applied medicine.  

Besides other topics, corneal diseases and their various treatment approaches through to corneal transplants are one of the therapeutic focus areas of the team around Prof. Seitz, with whom the University Hospital's eye clinic is outstandingly positioned in the concert of university eye clinics. The year 2017 witnessed 504 corneal transplants in Homburg, and thus the third-highest number in Germany.

Prof. Seitz suggested the establishment of a " Centre for Corneal Diseases integrating the LIONS Eye Bank " where the engagement with corneal diseases on the highest medical level would also be assured a good future. "All aspects of the engagement with corneal diseases, right through to the ultima ratio of corneal transplants, were meanwhile to be thematically pooled in this new centre to be created", explains Prof. Seitz.

The LIONS Eye Bank, which has been doing commendable work ever since its inception in 2000 in Homburg as the second German university hospital with the support of the aid organization of the Lions Foundation Germany (HDL), was to be implemented in this overall concept as an important building block.

Besides those of an administrative, logistical, technical, instrumental and spatial nature, hygiene aspects are also to be addressed on the premises of the eye clinic's old surgery wing after the corresponding conversion and investment measures by cleanrooms meeting the absolutely highest current quality standards. This project would represent another beacon for medical care in the Saarland that patients in the region and greater region can benefit from in an exemplary manner, and that can also be expected to boost the Saarland's reputation in Germany's other Länder.

A corresponding application with detailed project description was submitted in August 2017 and proved able to prevail over other projects. In September 2017, the Klaus Faber Foundation hence committed 1.2 million euros to the establishment of the " Klaus Faber Centre for Corneal Diseases integrating the LIONS Eye Bank" in keeping with the project application.

Following a 1.6-million-euro donation for the establishment of a new research focus area, namely the Endowed Chair for Bioinformatics at the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) in cooperation with the local university, the donation for the University Hospital in Homburg now is already the second support measure of the Klaus Faber Foundation to benefit Saarland University.