BrightFocus Foundation Announces $11.7 Million for Research on Alzheimer's and Vision Diseases

CLARKSBURG, Md., April 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- BrightFocus Foundation today announced $11.7 million in promising new scientific research projects, its largest annual investment toward finding cures for Alzheimer's disease, macular degeneration, and glaucoma.

The grants were approved by the BrightFocus Board of Directors after thorough peer review by panels of leading scientists in each field.  With these latest grant awards, BrightFocus will have funded more than $163 million in research since its inception, with nearly $32 million in the last three years alone.

"Until we change the trajectory of these diseases through more effective treatments and cures, these age-related diseases will take a growing toll on families, taxpayers, and the economy.  We must act with greater urgency than ever," said the foundation's President and CEO Stacy Pagos Haller, who noted that 10,000 Americans turn 65 each day. 

More than five million Americans now have Alzheimer's, a number that could triple by midcentury.  Macular degeneration, which hinders central vision, affects as many as 11 million people in the U.S., and could reach 22 million by 2050.  Glaucoma, which impairs peripheral vision and can occur without warning, impacts an estimated three million Americans and is the leading cause of blindness among Hispanics and African-Americans.

BrightFocus, which receives no government funding, currently manages a portfolio of more than 150 research projects around the globe. "I want to thank the generosity of our donors for making it possible to support some of the most promising science in the world," Haller said. 

The names of this year's grant recipients will be announced this summer, after completion of final agreements with researchers and supporting institutions.

To learn more about BrightFocus, and to find resources for families impacted by Alzheimer's, macular degeneration, and glaucoma, visit brightfocus.org

SOURCE BrightFocus Foundation

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http://www.brightfocus.org