BrightFocus Foundation Awards Nearly $13M to 50 Scientists for Alzheimer's, Macular Degeneration, and Glaucoma Research
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New grant funding supports cutting-edge scientific ideas across risk reduction, earlier detection, and new treatments for diseases of mind and sight.
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CLARKSBURG, Md. — Private research nonprofit BrightFocus Foundation today announced nearly $13 million in grants to support early investigative research into Alzheimer's disease, macular degeneration, and glaucoma. This includes $7.3 million to its Alzheimer's Disease Research program, $3.8 million to its Macular Degeneration Research program, and $1.8 million to its National Glaucoma Research program.
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'With recent major cuts to federal research funding, private foundations like BrightFocus are more essential than ever—stepping up to keep promising research alive, nurture early-career scientists, and accelerate breakthroughs.'
Guided by scientific advisory committees of world-renowned researchers in the field, BrightFocus invests in highly innovative, experimental research and creative ideas with the most promise to foster a better understanding of disease onset, improve early detection and diagnosis, develop new treatments, and—ultimately—lead to cures. This year's grants were awarded to scientists in 10 countries including the U.S.
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'This year's grant awards represent some of the boldest, most cutting-edge ideas in vision and brain health research,' said BrightFocus President and CEO Stacy Pagos Haller. 'With recent major cuts to federal research funding, private foundations like BrightFocus are more essential than ever—stepping up to keep promising research alive, nurture early-career scientists, and accelerate breakthroughs.'
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BrightFocus Foundation's research programs are supported entirely by private donor contributions from the public and corporate and foundation grants; BrightFocus receives no government funding. Learn more about how to support our work.
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A complete list of the new research projects will be available this summer on BrightFocus' website, with additional details forthcoming upon the completion of individual agreements with the partnering institutions and scientists.
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Over 7 million Americans aged 65 and older are living with Alzheimer's disease, a progressive, terminal brain disorder that has no known cause or cure. Unless scientists can unlock the secrets of this disease, the number of cases is expected to triple by the year 2050. Grant recipients are studying a range of approaches spanning different areas of the brain and body to better understand the disease's onset and progression.
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Alzheimer's Disease Research grant recipients:
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Katerina Akassoglou, PhD
The J. David Gladstone Institutes
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Federica Anastasi, PhD
Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (Spain)
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Isabelle Aubert, PhD
Sunnybrook Research Institute (Canada)
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Daniel Bos, MD, PhD
Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam (Netherlands)
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Todd J. Cohen, PhD
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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Joshua Emmerson, PhD
Washington University in St. Louis
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Ghazaleh Eskandari-Sedighi, PhD
University of California, Irvine
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Anllely Fernandez, PhD
Indiana University
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Hongjun Fu, PhD
The Ohio State University
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Laura Fumagalli, PhD
Flanders Institute for Biotechnology (Belgium)
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John Hardy, PhD, FRS
University College London (U.K.)
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Joseph Herdy, PhD
The Salk Institute for Biological Studies
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Sarah Elise Heuer, PhD
Brigham and Women's Hospital
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Jack Humphrey, PhD
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
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Ksenia Kastanenka, PhD
Massachusetts General Hospital
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Jr-Jiun Liou, PhD
University of Pittsburgh
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Jae-eun Miller, PhD
Columbia University
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Miguel Moutinho, PharmD, PhD
Indiana University
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Carolina Ochoa-Rosales, PhD
Adolfo Ibáñez University (Chile)
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Omar Peña-Ramos, PhD
Baylor College of Medicine
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Cyril Pottier, PhD
Washington University in St. Louis
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Marcos Schaan Profes, PhD
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
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Nader Saffari, PhD, MSc, BSc
University College London (U.K.)
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Monica Santisteban, PhD
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
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Feng Tian, PhD
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
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Rebecca Wallings, DPhil
Indiana University
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Justyna Dobrowolska Zakaria, PhD
Northwestern University – Chicago Campus
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Damian Zuloaga, PhD
University at Albany
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Macular Degeneration Research
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Twenty million U.S. adults have macular degeneration—the leading cause of vision loss in Americans aged 65 and older. Early detection and treatment are crucial to slowing the disease progression and preventing permanent vision loss. Grant recipients are exploring a wide range of innovative scientific approaches, from exploring ways to regenerate damaged cells to determining the influence of early-life events and lifestyle factors on disease risk.
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Macular Degeneration Research grant recipients:
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Mohajeet Balveer Bhuckory, PhD
Stanford University School of Medicine
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Ana J. Chucair-Elliott, PhD
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
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Charles DeBoer, MD, PhD
Stanford University School of Medicine
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Ashley Farre, PhD
University of Idaho
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Valencia Fernandes, PhD
University of California, San Francisco
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Masayuki Hata, MD, PhD
Kyoto University (Japan)
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Ruchi Sharma, PhD
National Eye Institute, NIH
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Nobuhiko Shiraki, PhD
Duke University School of Medicine
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Daisy Yao Shu, PhD
University of New South Wales (Australia)
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Jerzy Szablowski, PhD
William Marsh Rice University
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Amir Mani Varnoosfaderani, PhD
University of Chicago
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Joëlle Elise Vergroesen, PhD
Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam (Netherlands)
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National Glaucoma Research
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Around 4 million U.S. adults have glaucoma—a leading cause of blindness in the U.S. caused by damage to the optic nerve. Because there are often no early symptoms, as many as half of those affected may not even know they have it until irreversible vision loss has occurred. Although there is no cure, early detection and treatments can help slow the disease's progression.
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Grant recipients are investigating a wide range of scientific approaches, including novel treatments, early detection methods, and efforts to protect and regenerate retinal ganglion cells that could preserve or restore vision.
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National Glaucoma Research grant recipients:
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Brad Fortune, OD, PhD
Legacy Research Institute
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Tatjana Jakobs, MD
Schepens Eye Research Institute of Mass. Eye and Ear
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Colleen McDowell, PhD
University of Wisconsin-Madison
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Rob Nickells, PhD
University of Wisconsin-Madison
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Gavin Roddy, MD, PhD
Mayo Clinic, Rochester
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Dorota Skowronska-Krawczyk, PhD
University of California, Irvine
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Dan Stamer, PhD
Duke University
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Karl Wahlin, PhD
University of California, San Diego – Health Sciences
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Pete Williams, PhD
Karolinska Institute (Sweden)
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Benjamin Xu, MD, PhD
University of Southern California
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BrightFocus encourages researchers with groundbreaking ideas to apply for a 2026 grant. Application information is available at brightfocus.org/apply.
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BrightFocus Foundation is a premier global nonprofit funder of research to defeat Alzheimer's, macular degeneration, and glaucoma. Through its flagship research programs — Alzheimer's Disease Research, Macular Degeneration Research, and National Glaucoma Research— the Foundation has awarded over $300 million in groundbreaking research funding since its inception in 1973 and shares the latest research findings, expert information, and resources to empower the millions impacted by these devastating diseases. Learn more at brightfocus.org.
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