New Metric Shows Growing Impact of BrightFocus Scientific Leadership

In a newly-released metric, the official scientific journal of BrightFocus Foundation, Molecular Neurodegeneration, saw its impact factor – a statistical measure of the publication’s generative role in shaping and leading scientific progress – rise significantly in recent years. It is the top-ranked open access journal in its field.

“The meteoric rise of the journal’s impact factor – from a 5.3 when BrightFocus first began its support in 2010 to a 9.6 a year ago and now a 14.2 – is a powerful testament to BrightFocus’ success in driving scientific collaboration and discovery,” said Diane Bovenkamp, PhD, BrightFocus Vice President for Scientific Affairs.

“I want to thank the authors and editors at the journal for transforming it into a valued, influential authority on cutting-edge research that is widely-read and cited around the globe,” Dr. Bovenkamp said. Many of the 54 scientists on its editorial board received BrightFocus funding early in their careers to jump start their new, promising areas of scientific inquiry, she added.

BrightFocus, which recently extended its support for the journal for five more years, purposely chose to make it open-access, reflecting its public education mission to provide free, timely access to the latest scientific information for students, researchers, and families impacted by these diseases.

Earlier this year BrightFocus announced $25.3 million in new grants, an amount five times greater than a decade ago and its tenth consecutive year-over-year increase. Eighty percent of these new grants were to scientists early in their careers, fueling new approaches to end diseases of mind and sight. Through its research programs in three key areas – Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration, and glaucoma – BrightFocus has supported over 275 projects over the past three years alone, a $60 million scientific commitment.