At Centre ASSAL, innovation is at the core of our clinical and scientific practice. We integrate cutting-edge technologies to improve treatment precision, enhance patient safety, and optimize functional outcomes. Our initiatives are developed in close collaboration with Swiss engineers, academic institutions, and national innovation support programs.
Our goal is clear: to advance medicine in order to provide better care—today and tomorrow.
Minimally invasive Achilles tendon repair system
PD Dr Mathieu Assal developed a minimally invasive system for Achilles tendon repair, designed to improve surgical precision while minimizing soft tissue trauma
Dr Victor Dubois-Ferrière, in partnership with Arthrex®, developed an innovative and globally recognized surgical guide for hallux valgus correction.
This tool allows surgeons to perform less invasive procedures while precisely controlling toe alignment and screw positioning. It improves surgical safety and reduces soft tissue trauma.
Results: less pain, fewer scars, and a smoother recovery.
Developed within Centre ASSAL, the startup Aligna3D offers a personalized solution to support recovery following hallux valgus surgery. Designed by Dr Victor Dubois-Ferrière and engineer Alexandre Saconney-Pfister, this 3D-printed orthosis is perfectly tailored to each patient’s foot.
It provides:
This project is supported by the FORTE Foundation, FONGIT, Venture Kick, and Innosuisse.
Developed in collaboration with engineers Quentin Praz and Spyridon Schoinas from HEPIA (School of Landscape, Engineering and Architecture of Geneva) and the University of Geneva, Laxiped is a unique device that allows objective and reproducible quantification of first ray instability—a factor that is often underdiagnosed in forefoot pathologies.
This innovative diagnostic tool is supported by Innosuisse, the Swiss Innovation Agency, which funds high-impact collaborative innovation projects.
Centre ASSAL is a pioneer in integrating this technology into its surgical practice. This major technological breakthrough enables real-time three- dimensional imaging during surgery, providing extremely precise visualization of surgical maneuvers.
Originally developed for neurosurgery, this technology has been successfully
translated at Centre ASSAL to complex foot, ankle, and leg surgeries. It allows
accurate assessment of fracture reduction and highly reliable guidance for
screw placement.
This innovation improves surgical precision, enhances patient safety, and
reduces the risk of revision surgery.
Centre ASSAL collaborates with Unilabs in the use of a latest-generation ConeBeam CT scanner, enabling 3D imaging of the foot and ankle under real weight-bearing conditions.
This technology significantly improves the assessment of complex deformities such as ankle malalignment, flatfoot, and hallux valgus, and allows detailed analysis of bone trauma for more accurate diagnosis and optimized surgical planning—while delivering significantly lower radiation exposure compared to conventional CT scanners.
