The Nixon Visions Foundation and The Foundation Fighting Blindness invites you to join a free, in-person workshop for those affected by PRPH2 and associated retinal diseases. Click for details.
News & Events
2025 Science Awards
Published:
2025 Science Awards
2025 Science Awards to shed light on the causes of PRPH2-related retinal diseases and a new therapeutic approach
Determining the genetic causes of PRPH2-related retinal diseases, understanding why symptoms of vision loss vary widely, and testing a new treatment approach, are the targets of research grants awarded in 2025 by the Foundation Fighting Blindness. These awards are part of the foundation’s PRPH2 and Associated Diseases Program (PARD), established in 2021 in partnership with the Nixon Visions Foundation. These $500,000 awards, funded by the Nixon Visions Foundation, are part of a multi-year program to meaningfully expand PRPH2 research worldwide.
Focus on Genetics
Dr. Jason Comander, Assistant Professor, Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, is the principal investigator and recipient of a three-year award to investigate variants of the PRPH2 gene, responsible for the production of a protein called Peripherin 2. Using cell testing and zebrafish, Comander and his team expect to better understand how these variants lead to varying retinal degenerations, thus ultimately improving patient diagnosis and treatment.
Co-investigators in this research are Dr. Kinga Bujuakowska and Dr. Eric Pierce.
Cell and Molecular Mechanisms
Dr. Frauke Coppieters, Associate Professor, Ghent University, Belgium, is another 2025 grant recipient and the principal investigator of research to study why types and severity of PRPH2-related symptoms vary so widely. By studying protein levels and genetic factors in patient cells, Coppieters and her team aim to understand these differences and test a new treatment approach using antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) to correct genetic issues and potentially offering a new therapeutic approach.
Co-investigators in this research are Dr. Bart Leroy and Dr. Kris Gevaert.
“We are fortunate to have these researchers, who are at the top of their field, focusing on understanding the complexity of PRPH2-related diseases so that effective treatments can move forward,” said Brandon Nixon, CEO, Nixon Visions Foundation. “This effort is a marathon and we are well into the race heading into our third year.”
Current and Future Program Research
Science awards funded by the Nixon Visions Foundation in 2024 were announced in spring of that year. Awardees include: Dr. Andrew Goldberg, Oakland University; and Dr. Yoshi Imanishi, Indiana University. In 2025, the FFB also funded two additional scientists under the PARD program: Dr. Muayyad R. Al-Ubaidi, University of Houston; and Dr. Krzysztof Palczewski, University of Irvine. All are working on novel therapies for PRPH2-related diseases. Read more about their research.
2026 PRPH2 Workshop Coming in Fall
This fall, scientists, researchers, patients and their families will have the opportunity to connect with each other and to learn about research being conducted worldwide to better understand and develop therapies for PRPH2-releated retinal diseases. This workshop will take place over one and a half days in La Jolla, Calif., in September 2026. Find out more about this workshop.
