Foundation Fighting Blindness Receives $2.3 Million Grant From The George Gund Foundation To Fund Genetic Study Of Retinitis Pigmentosa

Owings Mills, MD - November 2007 - The Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB, www.FightBlindness.org) today announced that it has received a grant of $2.3 million from the Cleveland-based George Gund Foundation to fund 29 research projects in 2008 that will focus primarily on the genetic link to retinitis pigmentosa (RP).

RP is the name given to a group of inherited conditions that cause the degeneration of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Photoreceptor cells capture and process light, resulting in sight. As these cells degenerate and die, patients experience progressive vision loss. The grants funded by the George Gund Foundation will be distributed to researchers at major universities and medical centers in the U.S. and overseas collaborating on four areas of research:

• Efforts to identify new RP genes
• Techniques to achieve better genotype-phenotype correlation
• Advancements in new gene identification technologies
• Use of animal models to identify RP genes in humans

"Identifying and breaking down the genetic link to RP is critical to identifying cures and treatments," said William Schmidt, Chief Executive Officer, Foundation Fighting Blindness. "This grant will enable FFB to continue exploring this very fertile area of research in its continuing fight to cure RP and the other retinal degenerative diseases that affect more than 9 million Americans."

"The quest to find a cure for this disease is awesome and inspiring. We are proud to help fuel the work of the dedicated scientists who will lead us to the breakthrough we know is out there," said David T. Abbott, Executive Director of The George Fund Foundation.

U.S. institutions slated to receive funds include the University of Pennsylvania, Harkness Eye Institute (Columbia University) and the W.K. Kellogg Eye Center for the Study of Retinal Degenerative Diseases (University of Michigan). Global institutions include the Wallenburg Retina Center (University of Lund, Sweden), Research Center at the Institute of Ophthalmology (London) and Moorfields Eye Hospital (London).

About the George Gund Foundation
The George Gund Foundation was established in 1952 by George Gund, former chairman of the Cleveland Trust Company. The Foundation funds programs that enhance our understanding of the physical and social environment in which we live and increase our ability to cope with its changing requirements. Grants are made quarterly in the areas of education, human services, economic and community development, environment and arts. Foundation commitments to date have totaled almost more than $500 million.

About the Foundation Fighting Blindness
The Foundation Fighting Blindness (www.FightBlindness.org) is the largest source of non-governmental funding for retinal degenerative disease research in the world. The urgent mission of The 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.