A Race Against Blindness has committed $1 million to support gene-agnostic therapeutic approaches for inherited retinal diseases. The funding will support the Foundation Fighting Blindness and its venture arm, the RD Fund, in advancing treatments that could help patients regardless of the specific gene mutation causing their condition.
The commitment includes $775,000 for the RD Fund and $225,000 for a Foundation Fighting Blindness research award. The RD Fund contribution will be matched dollar for dollar through the Gordon and Llura Gund Foundation Challenge, increasing its total impact to $1.55 million.
A Race Against Blindness was founded in 2023 by Dr. Stephen and Kristina Johnston after their son was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa caused by Bardet-Biedl syndrome. Since then, the family-led nonprofit has supported research focused on retinitis pigmentosa, Bardet-Biedl syndrome, pediatric inherited retinal diseases, and therapies that can move quickly from scientific concept to clinical use.
The funding aims to accelerate approaches that are not limited to a single genetic cause. This is important because inherited retinal diseases can be caused by many different mutations, making it difficult to develop a separate therapy for every affected group.
The RD Fund will use the $775,000 contribution to support gene-agnostic therapeutic approaches across its portfolio companies. These include strategies designed to slow disease progression, protect retinal cells, reduce oxidative stress, and restore vision through technologies such as optogenetics.
One example is Nacuity Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage company developing NPI-001, an oral neuroprotective treatment designed to target oxidative stress in retinal degeneration. Instead of correcting one specific gene, the therapy is intended to help protect retinal cells across multiple forms of disease.
The remaining $225,000 will complete funding for a Foundation Fighting Blindness Career Development Award supporting Dr. Thomas Mendel at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. The five-year award supports research into a new retinal gene therapy delivery method that could apply across many inherited retinal diseases.
Dr. Mendel’s research is testing a surgical approach that delivers gene therapy onto the surface of the retina rather than beneath it. The method also uses insulin to help speed uptake into retinal cells, with the goal of improving delivery while reducing inflammation and protecting retinal function.
Because the delivery approach is gene-agnostic, it could potentially support treatments for conditions such as Bardet-Biedl syndrome, choroideremia, Leber congenital amaurosis, Stargardt disease, Usher syndrome, and multiple forms of retinitis pigmentosa.
The Foundation Fighting Blindness said the commitment will help accelerate broad-reaching research that could benefit many patients across the inherited retinal disease community. As a major private funder of retinal degenerative disease research, the Foundation has supported work that has contributed to more than 60 retinal disease drug candidates now in clinical trials.
The $1 million commitment highlights the growing importance of gene-agnostic innovation in retinal disease research. By supporting both venture-backed therapeutic development and academic research, the partnership aims to advance treatments that can reach more families affected by inherited vision loss.
