Science News

BrightFocus is once again leading Alzheimer’s Fast Track, a several day incubator for some of the world’s most promising early career researchers. By encouraging and supporting these women and men, BrightFocus hopes to accelerate the path to a cure for the disease.

BrightFocus-affiliated expert discusses traumatic brain injury and dementia on national news program

University of Pennsylvania professor Virginia M.Y. Lee, PhD, who helped develop and guide BrightFocus Foundation’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research program, has won a 2020 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences. The prize, known as the “The Oscars of Science,” recognizes her research leading to new avenues for potential drug discovery and development.

Diseases of mind and sight share neurodegenerative features in common. BrightFocus is leading the way to explore them so that what’s learned about one disease may benefit another in the search for cures.

The research and discoveries of clinician-scientist Joel S. Schuman, MD, are having a big impact on vision diseases, including glaucoma. Early support from BrightFocus had a big impact on his career.

At ARVO 2019, the world’s largest gathering of vision scientists, BrightFocus grantees stood out for their insights into key cells in the retina and surrounding tissue that participate in macular degeneration.

Learn what LATE is, the brain regions that are affected by this disorder, how many people may have this form of dementia, how it is currently diagnosed, and the next steps for research.

A recent study focused attention on whether Alzheimer’s disease can spread from one human to another. The risk remains small as long as standard precautions are followed during surgery and other procedures.