Non-profit pours grant funding into research focused on Alzheimer’s, macular degeneration and glaucoma.
Amid mounting concerns in the US over the future of funding for fundamental scientific research into aging, global non-profit BrightFocus Foundation has announced nearly $13 million in new grant funding to support early-stage scientific research aimed at combating age-related diseases. The latest funding includes $7.3 million directed toward Alzheimer’s research, $3.8 million to macular degeneration research and $1.8 million to glaucoma research.
Since 1973, BrightFocus has invested more than $300 million to support studies that explore risk reduction, early detection and potential treatments for these diseases that impact the mind and sight. With a focus on high-risk, high-reward projects that aim to transform early-stage research into meaningful scientific and medical progress, the organization relies entirely on private contributions from individuals, corporations and other foundations to fund its research initiatives, without any government support.
This year’s funding will benefit researchers across the US and nine other countries. The foundation has previously supported work that led to breakthroughs including the first commercially available blood test to detect early Alzheimer’s disease and the reversal of age-related vision loss from glaucoma in mice using gene therapy.
With the number of Alzheimer’s cases expected to triple by 2050, researchers funded today by BrightFocus are examining various physiological and molecular processes to better understand how the disease begins and progresses, with the ultimate goal of developing effective treatments or a cure. Macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss among older adults in US, and scientists now receiving funding are working on strategies such as regenerating damaged retinal cells and examining the role of environmental and early-life factors in disease development.
Finally, glaucoma affects approximately 4 million adults in the US, and Brighthouse today funded projects including investigations into new treatment modalities, enhanced early detection technologies and protective strategies for retinal ganglion cells, which are essential for maintaining visual function.
“This year’s grant awards represent some of the boldest, most cutting-edge ideas in vision and brain health research,” said BrightFocus CEO Stacy Pagos Haller. “With recent major cuts to federal research funding, private foundations like BrightFocus are more essential than ever – stepping up to keep promising research alive, nurture early-career scientists, and accelerate breakthroughs.”
The foundation invites researchers with pioneering ideas to apply for future grant cycles.
Photograph courtesy of BrightFocus Foundation. Pictured is University of Nevada professor Albert Gonzales, a previous BrightFocus research grant recipient.
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