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By Stephen Rose, Ph.D., Chief Research Officer, Foundation Fighting Blindness For the last 40 years, the National Eye Institute (NEI) has conducted groundbreaking research to protect and restore the vision of millions of our country’s citizens, who are affected by a variety of eye conditions including cataracts, glaucoma, and retinal degenerations. We at the Foundation Fighting Blindness congratulate the NEI on its 40th anniversary and for its unwavering commitment to vision and eye research. As a federally funded institution, every American taxpayer has an investment in the NEI. And on behalf of the Foundation Fighting Blindness and its constituents, I am pleased to say that the NEI has provided an exceptional return for taxpayers by delivering countless vision-related research advances and breakthroughs. I am also pleased to report that for nearly 40 years, the NEI and the Foundation have partnered very effectively in driving critical retinal research. Current clinical trials of gene therapy for Leber congenital amarosusis and Neurotech’s Encapsulated Cell Technology for treating dry age-related macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, and related conditions were made possible by collaborative efforts from researchers funded by both the NEI and the Foundation Fighting Blindness. Countless other retinal research projects are moving forward, because of our partnership. In several cases, an FFB-funded breakthrough has attracted significant dollars from the NEI. In other cases, it has been an NEI-funded project that has attracted investment from the Foundation. We at the Foundation Fighting Blindness are proud of the fact that National Eye Institute Director Dr. Paul Sieving received the Foundation Fighting Blindness Career Development Award when he was a young investigator at the Kellogg Eye Institute (University of Michigan), and he subsequently became director of the FFB-funded W.K. Kellogg Eye Center for the Study of Retinal Degenerative Diseases. Looking forward, there are a number of challenges for the vision research community as our population ages and the cost and incidence of vision loss increase. With the NEI continuing as a visionary partner in driving eye research — including research for retinal degenerative diseases that affect millions of Americans — the future is brighter than ever. |
