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Owings Mills, MD- March 9, 2009 -With President Obama’s lifting of the ban on federal funding for stem cell research, Foundation Fighting Blindness funded researchers and scientists have the opportunity to begin exploring new research that may lead to treatments and cures for retinal degenerative diseases. Ten million Americans are affected by retinal degenerative diseases in the U.S. at an annual cost of nearly $70 billion and with an aging population, the number of Americans affected by retinal degenerative diseases is expected to increase 50% by 2020. Foundation Fighting Blindness funded researchers expect that with the lifting of the embryonic stem cell ban, treatments will be able to move into clinical trials at a faster and more cost-efficient pace, thus increasing the development of cures for retinal degenerative diseases.
“Foundation Fighting Blindness applauds President Obama’s decision to overturn the ban on federal funding for stem cell research,” said William Schmidt, CEO of Foundation Fighting Blindness. “With this change in Federal policy the Foundation will be able to explore uncharted medical territory and help fund new research and clinical trials that were previously unavailable to us. This opportunity helps bring us closer to finding treatments and cures to diseases that affect the vision of millions of Americans.” FFB funded researchers and scientists from across the nation have said the limitations placed on stem cell research by the previous administration put the U.S. at a significant disadvantage. Under the previous limitations the U.S.’s research competitiveness declined due to strict regulations on available stem cells, resulting in the additional expense of maintaining non-federally funded research programs. This led to significant waste and duplication as many academic medical centers were compelled to build separate facilities to carry on research with non-approved cells in order to maintain their federal funding. Other FFB funded researchers believe the previous restrictions compelled some researchers to leave the U.S. to continue their work and deterred others from attempting projects involving stem cells, further limiting the nation’s competitiveness. “Lifting the embryonic stem cell ban will ultimately enable more treatments to move into clinical trials,” said Dr. Stephen Rose, Chief Research Officer of Foundation Fighting Blindness. “The immediate impact at the clinical level may be modest, but lifting the ban will accelerate the entire research and development process. Retinal regenerative research will be more fruitful and important discoveries are likely to come more quickly.” The study of all forms of stem cells is vital to the medical research community as each form grows and differentiates in varying ways. FFB funded researchers and scientists agree that without studying all forms of stem cells, it is not possible to know which type offers the best potential. With an easing of restrictions, retinal regenerative research will likely lead to positive results and important discoveries in a quicker timeframe as researchers will have the ability to use the most optimal existing cell line, rather than being forced to choose from the twelve allowed according to previous restrictions. According to FFB funded researchers, the immediate impact at the clinical level may be modest at first, but lifting the ban will accelerate the entire research and development process, spawning new potential treatments. Significant money will also be saved with the removal of restrictions as medical centers will have the ability to direct funds towards experiments rather than duplicating infrastructures for stem cell research in compliance with federal regulations. The Foundation Fighting Blindness is the largest source of non-governmental funding for retinal degenerative disease research in the world. The urgent mission of Foundation Fighting Blindness is to drive the research that will provide preventions, treatments and cures for people affected by retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration, Usher syndrome and the entire spectrum of retinal degenerative diseases. Most recently, the Foundation funded a clinical trial at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia which restored sight to three participants, proving we are just around the corner from a cure. To speak with Dr. Steve Rose, FFB’s Chief Research Officer or an FFB funded researcher in your area, contact Chris Vassil at (202) 340-8099 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
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