Rise Up for Research
When we Rise Up For Research, breakthroughs happen.
The scientific community needs champions now more than ever.
Recent uncertainty around federal research funding has put science in the spotlight, revealing how fragile scientific innovation and progress can be without sustained support.
Researchers are working tirelessly to defeat diseases like Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration, and glaucoma. They need defenders—people who will stand up with them when funding is uncertain and celebrate with them when breakthroughs happen.
By supporting scientists at the beginning of their journey, we:
- Introduce new perspectives to solve longstanding challenges.
- Champion bold ideas that other funders won’t.
- Spark progress that attracts larger follow-on funding.
- Nurture the next generation of research leaders.
Why BrightFocus Funding Matters
Why BrightFocus Funding Matters
For more than 50 years, BrightFocus Foundation and its programs—Alzheimer’s Disease Research, Macular Degeneration Research, and National Glaucoma Research—has catalyzed scientific breakthroughs that have led to novel treatments, prevention strategies, and diagnostic tools for diseases of mind and sight.
Most of our grants support early-stage research, ensuring fresh perspectives are brought to the forefront and offering an increased return on research investment over time through novel discoveries that fuel the field.
Explore Breakthrough Research
Explore Breakthrough Research
Potential New Glaucoma Treatment Saves Retinal Cells
An innovative new approach to stopping excess glutamate signaling in the eye may help protect vision in people with glaucoma. BrightFocus National Glaucoma Research-funded scientist Marco Feligioni, PhD, is exploring a potential new treatment that could one day help preserve vision alongside existing glaucoma therapies.
A New Macular Degeneration Suspect: The Eye’s Light-Sensing Cells
After discovering that photoreceptors actively drive the debris formation seen in age-related macular degeneration, BrightFocus Macular Degeneration Research grantee Claudio Punzo, PhD, helped develop a single-injection gene-silencing therapy designed to reverse this process, opening a new avenue for treatment.
Building a Better Model of Alzheimer’s By Studying Brain Tissue in a Dish
Dr. Dominik Paquet’s lab is growing human brain tissue in the lab to uncover what mouse models can’t show.
BrightFocus Journal Rises to Top 5 Neuroscience Journals Worldwide
With a 2025 impact factor of 19.6 and a No. 5 ranking among 330 neuroscience journals worldwide, Molecular Neurodegeneration continues to expand its influence on research into Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration, glaucoma, and related neurodegenerative disorders.
Breaking News Dispatch: Diversifying the Alzheimer’s Disease Treatment Portfolio
Read the latest research news and findings from the latest international Alzheimer’s conference.
Lessons from Zebrafish: Restoring “Ground Zero” in Macular Degeneration
BrightFocus Macular Degeneration Research grant recipient Lyndsay Leach, PhD, is investigating what makes another species capable of regrowing the part of the eye where age-related macular degeneration starts.
Can Better Sleep Slow Alzheimer’s?
New BrightFocus-funded research suggests restoring sleep may help protect the brain from dementia progression, and a common insomnia drug could help lead the way.
Breaking News Dispatch: Alzheimer’s Oral Therapies, Prevention Strategies, and Targeted Treatments Emerge
Get the latest research news from the 2026 International Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases and Related Neurological Disorders (AD/PD) conference.
Focusing on the Future: Key Takeaways from the 2025 Glaucoma Fast Track
BrightFocus Foundation’s 2025 Glaucoma Fast Track brought together early-career and established scientists to provide a thorough overview of the biology, diagnosis, and treatment of glaucoma.