The Glaucoma Research Foundation (GRF) has received a record $5 million gift from the John and Daria Barry Foundation, launching the Treatment Accelerator Initiative to move promising vision-restoration discoveries from the lab to the clinic faster than ever before. The donation, the largest in GRF’s history, will be distributed over five years to fund projects that accelerate glaucoma research beyond traditional pathways. The initiative will focus on advancing neuroprotection, supporting preclinical and early human studies, and fostering collaborations among scientists, clinicians, and biotech innovators.
“This extraordinary gift marks a new era in glaucoma research,” said Thomas M. Brunner, the President and CEO of GRF. “The Treatment Accelerator will allow us to build on our decades of progress and move urgently toward therapies that improve – and in some cases restore – vision. It represents a forward-looking investment in eliminating vision loss from glaucoma and brings us closer to a future free from glaucoma.”
For donor Daria Becker Barry, who was diagnosed with glaucoma in 2012, the initiative is deeply personal: “We want to put glaucoma on the map as a serious, neurodegenerative illness and speed up the search for new treatments and cures,” she said. “Through this initiative, we hope to trigger progress that not only preserves sight but ultimately restores it for the millions affected by this devastating disease.”
Building on nearly five decades of progress, GRF hopes the Treatment Accelerator will attract additional donor support to drive forward the next generation of glaucoma therapies.
“This extraordinary gift marks a new era in glaucoma research,” said Thomas M. Brunner, the President and CEO of GRF. “The Treatment Accelerator will allow us to build on our decades of progress and move urgently toward therapies that improve – and in some cases restore – vision. It represents a forward-looking investment in eliminating vision loss from glaucoma and brings us closer to a future free from glaucoma.”
For donor Daria Becker Barry, who was diagnosed with glaucoma in 2012, the initiative is deeply personal: “We want to put glaucoma on the map as a serious, neurodegenerative illness and speed up the search for new treatments and cures,” she said. “Through this initiative, we hope to trigger progress that not only preserves sight but ultimately restores it for the millions affected by this devastating disease.”
Building on nearly five decades of progress, GRF hopes the Treatment Accelerator will attract additional donor support to drive forward the next generation of glaucoma therapies.
