“Dream Team” of BrightFocus Alums Receive Major NIH Vision Research Grant

(L-R) Meyer, Fortune, Sivyer, Ou, Howell

The National Institutes of Health recently announced major research grants for scientific collaboration, including an award to a “dream team” of five glaucoma scientists, all of whom received key, early funding from the BrightFocus National Glaucoma Research (NGR) program.

Through its National Eye Institute, NIH awarded one of its “Audacious Goals” grants to a team comprised entirely of current and former NGR grantees – Jason Meyer, PhD, Indiana University-Purdue University; Brad Fortune, OD, PhD, Devers Eye Institute; Benjamin Sivyer, PhD, Oregon Health and Sciences University; Yvonne Ou, MD, University of California, San Francisco; and Gareth Howell, PhD, The Jackson Laboratory – to further study the potential of restoring vision lost to glaucoma by regenerating cells in the eye.

BrightFocus has awarded these five scientists a combined $1.1 million in funding for the early stages of this work, leading to the $6.7 million grant from NIH – a six-fold increase in what is known as “follow-on funding.” This is a powerful affirmation of the BrightFocus commitment to identify and support early the most promising scientists and their bold ideas.