Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has announced a $15 million pledge from philanthropist Jeffrey T. Fort in support of research and development for treatments of diseases that cause vision loss.

The gift will support research led by retinal surgeon and scientist Rajendra S. Apte of the John F. Hardesty Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences. Research will focus on understanding how inflammation and neurodegeneration can cause diverse eye diseases that affect millions of people worldwide. Fort, a former patient of Washington University opthamalogists, has supported several projects at the university, including the Jeffrey T. Fort Innovation Fund in 2015 within the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, providing a $1 million gift to help fund researchers exploring the root causes of visual diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and other blinding conditions.

“These gifts signify a friendship,” said Fort. “I have great respect for Washington University faculty and their contributions to research and medicine.”

“This gift is about the future, a moonshot that will allow us to take a giant leap forward,” said Apte. “Jeffrey Fort has a big personality and an even bigger vision for the future. He realizes the problems people face and is inspired by the innovative ideas that one day can lead to therapies to help them.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/microgen)