Foundation Fighting Blindness: Driving Treatments and Cures for Blinding Diseases

Photo © Courtesy of Foundation Fighting Blindness

Foundation Fighting Blindness: Driving Treatments and Cures for Blinding Diseases

BEN SHABERMAN, VICE PRESIDENT OF SCIENCE COMMUNICATIONS AT FOUNDATION FIGHTING BLINDNESS

Blinding retinal diseases affect 200 million people around the world. They can cause devastating vision loss for people of all ages, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

With genetic blinding diseases, children are often diagnosed with relentless, progressive vision loss at a young age. In some cases, kids are born blind.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in people over 55, robbing seniors of their central vision and leaving them unable to read, recognize faces, or drive.

Mobility and independence can be lost forever.

But imagine if you were diagnosed with a blinding disease and an eye doctor could inject new genes or cells in your retinas, near the back of the eye, to stop the disease in its tracks and potentially even restore lost vision. Driving the development of these cuttingedge treatments and cures for blinding diseases is the groundbreaking work of the Foundation Fighting Blindness.

The Foundation is the global leader in funding research for retinal degenerative diseases— including retinitis pigmentosa, Usher syndrome, Stargardt disease, Leber congenital amaurosis, and AMD. Since its inception in 1971, the Foundation has raised nearly a billion dollars toward its urgent mission. Currently, it funds more than 96 projects at the world’s leading institutions, eye hospitals, and universities. The RD Fund, the Foundation’s venture philanthropy arm, has invested $100 million in biotech startup companies that are moving treatments into human studies.

Thanks to Foundation funding, there’s an FDA-approved gene therapy, LUXTURNA®, which has restored vision to children and young adults who were virtually blind from a form of Leber congenital amaurosis, a severe retinal disease. The innovative treatment has enabled many of these patients to put away their navigational canes, see their parents' faces, and even see stars in the sky for the fi rst time.

About 50 clinical trials are underway for emerging gene therapies, cellular treatments, and small molecules. The Foundation has funded 88 percent of the current therapies introduced into human studies.

Thanks to its genetic testing program and My Retina Tracker® Registry, the Foundation connects patients to researchers and companies conducting clinical trials for emerging therapies.

“We are proud of our global leadership in driving blinding disease research and advancing promising therapies into clinical trials,” said Jason Menzo, chief executive officer at the Foundation. “But we are also focused on building strong, vibrant communities of families, researchers, and doctors, so no one ever has to be alone when facing vision loss.”

The Foundation’s network of more than 45 active chapters enables patients and families to connect for support and social engagement. Chapters host social and educational events throughout the year, connecting researchers and physicians with patients and families. The Foundation also provides resources for eye care professionals to help them educate and serve their patients.

Visit the Foundation’s website, FightingBlindness.org, for more information on these clinical trials, retinal diseases, educational events, support resources, and the more than 80 projects it has funded for cutting-edge research worldwide.