The BrightFocus Foundation in Clarksburg, Maryland, has announced $10 million in research grants focused on age-related diseases including Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration, and glaucoma.

The funding includes $5.6 million in support of BrightFocus’ Alzheimer’s Disease Research program, $2.8 million to its Macular Degeneration Research program, and $1.6 million to its National Glaucoma Research program. This year’s cohort of 42 recipients is the most diverse in BrightFocus’ history, with 67 percent of recipients identifying as a woman and 57 percent identifying as a member of a non-white racial or ethnic group.

According to the foundation, women and minority populations are disproportionately affected by Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, macular degeneration, and glaucoma, yet they are widely underrepresented in the field of scientific research and clinical trial participation. Grant recipients are investigating critical sex- and race-based differences in genetics, immunity, inflammation, artificial intelligence, and lifestyle interventions to understand how to serve and cure all populations.

“The research funded by BrightFocus Foundation serves as a pivotal starting point in the journey toward better health and quality of life for the hundreds of millions of people across the globe,” said foundation president and CEO Stacy Pagos Haller. “We are honored to fuel the field and support rockstar scientists on the quest to end Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration, and glaucoma.”

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