The Foundation Fighting Blindness celebrates raising millions of dollars for research. | Courtesy of Shutterstock
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Amanda Rupp | Aug 5, 2016

Foundation Fighting Blindness raises millions for research

The Foundation Fighting Blindness -- which is the biggest private funder of translational, early and clinical-stage research for blinding, inherited retinal diseases in the world -- recently raised over $109 million for research.

The funds, which surpass the foundation’s goal by approximately $9 million, will be dedicated to retinal disease research. The Gordon and Llura Gund Family Challenge handled the fundraising.

"It is with immense gratitude that my wife Lulie and I express our sincere thanks to the more than 200 donors who made our dream of raising well over $100 million a reality,” Foundation Fighting Blindness Chairman Emeritus Gordon Gund said. “Their generosity will make it possible for the incredible research advances made in recent years to continue on an accelerated basis to unlock the answers we need to cure retinal diseases.”

Over 10 million people living in the U.S., and millions more around the world, suffer from retinal diseases. With these funds, researchers will work to further pre-clinical research as well as clinical trials that could benefit retinal disease patients, helping them preserve their sight through restorative treatments.

"We will now embark on the careful work of determining the research projects the Challenge funding will support, using a peer-review vetting process led by our Research Oversight Committee," Dr. Stephen Rose, chief research officer of Foundation Fighting Blindness, said. "The incredible success of the match program will allow us to increase the size and scope of our research portfolio, including in promising emerging therapies such as gene and stem cell treatments."

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