Glaucoma Research Foundation (GRF) has announced $720,000 in annual research grants to support 12 investigators at prestigious universities across the United States. The announcement during World Glaucoma Week emphasizes the need to find better treatments and a cure for this disease that affects more than 60 million people.
The Foundation is also funding eight researchers at prominent medical research centers with one-year Shaffer Grants, in addition to four principal investigators engaged in the multi-year “Catalyst for a Cure” consortium.
GRF is awarding $100,000 to each of the Catalyst for a Cure researchers to continue their investigations toward identifying and testing specific biomarkers for glaucoma using advanced optical imaging technologies. Shaffer Grants in the amount of $40,000 each will be awarded to eight individual grant recipients to support innovative research into causes and potential new treatment targets for glaucoma. This investment continues Glaucoma Research Foundation’s status as one of the nation’s preeminent private sources of funding for innovative and collaborative glaucoma research.
GRF President and CEO, Thomas M. Brunner said, “Glaucoma Research Foundation invests in essential research to discover exactly how glaucoma causes vision loss, and to find ways to both prevent and potentially restore vision. 2018 is our 40th anniversary, and to date we have invested more than $60 million in innovative research and education. Our 2018 research grants are continuing that progress toward a cure and advancing our critical mission.”
The Catalyst for a Cure (CFC) team has already identified several specific new biomarkers for glaucoma. This year, the CFC researchers are working together to test these new potential biomarkers in clinical trials with glaucoma patients. This will be an important step toward validating the efficacy of each potential biomarker for clinical and research applications.
GRF’s 2018 research grants to explore new ideas are made possible through generous philanthropic support including leadership gifts from the Frank Stein and Paul S. May Grants for Innovative Glaucoma Research, the Dr. Henry A. Sutro Family Grant for Research, Dr. James and Elizabeth Wise, The Dr. Miriam Yelsky Memorial Research Grant, Roberta and Robert H. Feldman, Edward Joseph Daly Foundation, and the R. David Sudarsky Charitable Testamentary Trust.
GRF’s Shaffer Grant Advisory Committee evaluates grant applications and determines the most promising projects for Glaucoma Research Foundation to fund each year. The following 2018 Shaffer Grants will be awarded at $40,000 each.
