Overview
The Translational Research Acceleration Program awards will accelerate the movement of preclinical research toward an Investigational New Drug filing and into clinical trials to provide a robust and diverse pipeline of potential therapies to fight inherited retinal degenerations (IRD) and dry age-related macular degeneration.
The Research Priority Areas
(1) Novel Medical Therapies – approaches that use chemistry, biology, and bioengineering to formulate new therapies that mitigate inherited retinal degenerations and dry age-related macular degenerations;
(2) Genetic Technologies – the manipulation and modification of human gene expression to alter the biological properties of living cells/tissues with the goal of providing therapeutic solutions;
(3) Regenerative Medicine – the development, regeneration, and employment of human cells, tissues, and cellular/tissue-based products for the restoration of retinal function and vision
Note: Research and technologies that fall outside of the scope of these areas may be considered with adequate preliminary data and justification.
Eligibility
Applicants must hold a research leadership position within their organization and must be able to independently execute research activities with the full support of their organization. U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens, within or outside of the United States, are welcome to apply, as well as companies. If you are applying as a company, please inform the Sr. Director of the Preclinical Translational Research Program by sending a message to Grants@FightingBlindness.org. Individuals from underrepresented racial, ethnic and gender groups, as well as individuals with disabilities, are always encouraged to apply.
The 2024 Proposer’s Day webinar will be held on April 29, 2024, to review the Translational Research Acceleration program and answer questions from potential applicants, register here.
Below is a recording of the 2023 webinar:
Applying
All prospective award recipients must first submit a Letter of Intent (Due June 04, 2024), and once reviewed by the Foundation, top-scoring applicants will be invited to submit a full application (Due October 17, 2024). Please download and review the Letter of Intent and application guidelines before submitting any documents to the Foundation. Please continue to monitor guidance documents for updates, as they are subject to change.
Questions can be directed to the Senior Director of the Preclinical Translational Research Program at Grants@FightingBlindness.org.
