Today, we are proud to share one of the most significant milestones in the history of A Race Against Blindness.
Thanks to the incredible support of our donors, sponsors, and community, we have committed $1 million toward inherited retinal disease research through a partnership with the Foundation Fighting Blindness and the RD Fund.
As many of you know, A Race Against Blindness was founded after our son Luke was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa caused by Bardet-Biedl Syndrome (BBS). Since then, our mission has been simple: move promising therapies from concept to clinic as quickly as possible for children and families facing vision loss.
This commitment will support two exciting areas of research:
- The RD Fund, which invests in companies developing treatments for inherited retinal diseases, including gene-agnostic approaches that may benefit patients regardless of the specific gene causing their condition.
- Dr. Thomas Mendel's research at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, which is exploring a new method of delivering retinal gene therapy that could one day improve treatment across many inherited retinal diseases.
Even more exciting, the portion directed to the RD Fund will be matched dollar-for-dollar through the Gordon and Llura Gund Foundation Challenge, increasing the total impact of this commitment to $1.55 million.
We were honored to share this announcement while attending the United in Vision Conference, where we had the opportunity to meet families from across the inherited retinal disease community. Hearing their stories was a powerful reminder that behind every research project, clinical trial, and scientific breakthrough are real people waiting for progress.
While at the conference, we also recorded a series of interviews with families, advocates, researchers, and industry leaders. We look forward to sharing those conversations with you in the coming weeks.
While no single project will solve blindness overnight, we believe supporting broad-reaching approaches with the potential to help many patients is one of the most meaningful ways we can move the field forward.
Read the Full Announcement
We are honored to partner with the Foundation Fighting Blindness and the RD Fund on this important initiative.
For additional details about the commitment, the research being supported, and the potential impact for families affected by inherited retinal diseases, we invite you to read the official announcement and follow additional media coverage as it becomes available.
- Read the Official Press Release
- Foundation Fighting Blindness Announcement
- Additional Media Coverage (coming soon)
None of this would be possible without you.
Every donor, sponsor, volunteer, and supporter who has joined us on this journey has helped make this moment possible. Together, we are proving that a community united by hope can help accelerate the science that families are waiting for.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you forever.
— Steve, Kristina, Luke, and the entire A Race Against Blindness family
