Grant To Be Used For Research On Reconstruction Of The Outer Retina - Lincy Foundation Awards 2.38 Million Dollars To Discovery Eye Foundation

Main Category: Eye Health / Blindness
Article Date: 30 May 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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The Discovery Eye Foundation (DEF) is pleased to announce they have received a $2,380,000 grant from The Lincy Foundation, headquartered in Beverly Hills, CA. Their continuing grant support will fund the majority of the Discovery Eye Foundation sponsored research focused on reconstruction of the outer retina by developing clinically useful stem cell and other therapies in an effort to retard and cure Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD).

Henry Klassen, MD, PhD, director of the Stem Cell and Retinal Generation Program at the Morris S. Pynoos Eye Research Laboratories, University of California, Irvine School of Medicine and Michael Young, PhD., of Harvard University's Schepens Eye Research Institute are the two principal investigators. They have been coordinating the cutting-edge research by scientists around the world participating in this collaborative study.

There are 11 universities worldwide participating in the Discovery Eye Foundation supported project. The generous grant from The Lincy Foundation will enable experts from multiple disciplines around the world to continue contributing their knowledge and expertise to this highly successful endeavor. During the first year their innovative work has resulted in six chapters in scientific books, 10 peer-reviewed manuscripts, and numerous presentations on related topics at national and international meetings.

The scientists involved are hopeful that the results of their vision-preserving experiments will be ready for clinical trials in humans within the next couple of years. Thus far, the project's findings have opened up new ideas about what may be possible in terms of reconstructing the outer retina damaged as a result of AMD. Many years of work have come together through this collaborative project and enabled success where for many years there was frustration.

Scientists involved in the retinal repair consortium are from The University of California, Irvine, Schepens Eye Research Institute at Harvard University, University of Louisville, University of Lunds, Eye Pathology Institute, University of Copenhagen, University of Missouri, Columbia, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, San Francisco, Boston University, Yale University, Case Western Reserve University.

The Discovery Eye Foundation, a national foundation headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, was founded in 1970 by Rita and Morris S Pynoos, and plays a vital role in finding the causes of and cures for eye disease while helping individuals with vision loss and their families find new way to see the world.

The mission of The Discovery Eye Foundation is to facilitate the development of cures and improve patient care through retinal and corneal research and educational programs for those persons with eye disease. They do this by supporting cutting edge eye research and providing educational programs around the world.

The Discovery Eye Foundation

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