Retina Foundation

What an incredible turnout for our 2024 Visionary Luncheon! We celebrated hope backed by science as we shared how the Retina Foundation is delivering on its mission to prevent vision loss and restore sight through innovative research and treatment. Dr. Karl Csaky, MD, PhD chief executive and medical officer at the Retina Foundation, shared our latest advancements in research and clinical trials. Lyda Hill, founder of Lyda Hill Philanthropies recognized the Communities Foundation of Texas’ W.W. Caruth, Jr. Fund with the Hunt Family Visionary Award, which was presented to Wayne White, President and CEO of CFT. While Tom Luce, honorary chair for the Visionary Luncheon, could not be with us for the event, we are grateful to Justin Coppedge, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Operations for Texas 2036 for stepping in and sharing the impact the Retina Foundation is making through collaborations with organizations like Texas 2036, Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) and others. We also heard from Laurie Dotter, incoming board chair for the Retina Foundation and event co-chairs Jennifer and Bill Voss, who spearheaded fundraising efforts for the event and are continuing to help, as we are very close to our $1M goal! The work we do at the Retina Foundation is all about our patients, and it was the patient stories that had the biggest impact. We are thankful to Jeanne Klein and Diane Boddy for sharing their story of participating in a first-of-its-kind sibling study for #AMD at the Retina Foundation and Jenny Schisler for sharing how the Retina Foundation provides hope for not only her personally but also for her daughters, who have a 50% chance of inheriting retinitis pigmentosa. From our speakers to our sponsors to our host committee, thank you to everyone who had a hand in making our 2024 Visionary Luncheon a success!

Thank you to Texas 2036 Justin Coppedge for the great remarks he shared with our guests at the Retina Foundation Visionary Luncheon. Justin stood in for Tom Luce, our Honorary Chair for the luncheon – he was a hit! What an amazing day – we will be sharing more highlights from our 2024 Visionary Luncheon soon!

We can’t wait for our Visionary Luncheon tomorrow at the Meyerson Symphony Center! It will be a day of hope and inspiration as we focus on our mission and share the progress the Retina Foundation has made over the past year to advance innovative research and treatments that will change the future for patients with retinal diseases. One of our most promising studies in development is the first-ever sibling study for Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) with patients Jeanne Klein and Diane Boddy. Using stem cell-derived retinal cells created from a simple blood draw, Dr. Srinivasa Sripathi is researching why Jeanne presents with AMD and Diane does not, even though both sisters have the genetic factor for the disease. What we learn from this study has the potential to change the trajectory of treatment and prevention, not only for #AMD but other retinal diseases as well. Jeanne and Diane will share their story of the hope they have found at the Retina Foundation during the Visionary Luncheon. You don’t want to miss it!

We are thrilled to share the recipient of the 2024 Hunt Family Visionary Award, which will be presented during our Visionary Luncheon next Wednesday (May 15) at the Meyerson Symphony Center. The Communities Foundation of Texas’ W.W. Caruth, Jr. Fund is being recognized with the award for its $2.5 million investment to support groundbreaking research initiatives that have propelled the field of vision science forward. An initial grant from CFT’s Caruth Fund launched the Clinical Center of Innovation for Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) at the Retina Foundation, focused on transforming and accelerating the path to diagnosing and treating AMD. Ultimately, a collaboration with Southern Methodist University’s Lyle School of Engineering and BALANCED Media|Technology resulted in a video game, Eye in the Sky: Defender, which uses retinal scans to diagnose and track patient treatment for #AMD. During the Visionary Luncheon, Lyda Hill of Lyda Hill Philanthropies will introduce Wayne White president and chief executive officer at CFT, to accept the award. We can’t wait to see everyone on May 15 at the Meyerson!

The New England Journal of Medicine has published a paper co-authored by our very own Dr. Mark Pennesi of Ophthalmic Genetics at the Retina Foundation. Dr. Pennesi was the lead scientist for the Phase 1/2 BRILLANCE clinical trial, which showed that CRSIPR/Cas9 gene editing can improve vision in patients with Leber Congenital Amaurosis, a rare inherited retinal disease for which there is currently no FDA-approved treatment. https://lnkd.in/gsfi9qVg “This trial shows CRISPR gene editing has exciting potential to treat inherited retinal degeneration,” Dr. Pennesi said. “There is nothing more rewarding to a physician than hearing a patient describe how their vision has improved after a treatment. One of our trial participants has shared several examples, including being able to find their phone after misplacing it and knowing that their coffee machine is working by seeing its small lights. While these types of tasks might seem trivial to those who are normally sighted, such improvements can have a huge impact on quality of life for those with low vision.” Dr. Pennesi led the study as part of his work with the OHSU Casey Eye Institute, collaborating with teams from Mass. Eye and Ear, University of Pennsylvania, University of Michigan, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and Editas Medicine. We are proud of our world-class scientists and physicians at the Retina Foundation like Dr. Pennesi, who are changing the future of treatment for patients impacted by vision loss. Read more about the clinical trial in the link below. https://lnkd.in/gmjv7UJ6

Our upcoming Visionary Luncheon on May 15th at the Meyerson Symphony Center raises critical funds that enable us to provide care for patients like Brad Wolken. Brad has Stargardt disease – a rare inherited retinal disease that causes progressive vision loss through the degeneration of photoceptor cells in the central portion of the retina, known as the macula. Brad has noticed an acceleration of vision loss in recent years but has hope for new treatments because of the Retina Foundation and his physician, Dr. Karl Csaky, MD, PhD. “The Retina Foundation has become like family to me,” Brad says. “Everyone from the research assistants to Dr. Csaky goes out of their way to show patients they care. Thanks to the Retina Foundation, I’m hopeful for new treatment options for Stargardt’s that will slow or halt the progression of my vision loss.”   Please visit our website for more information about the Visionary Luncheon and to purchase tickets. https://lnkd.in/g48JgY4P

It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of our longtime friend and Retina Foundation supporter, William Herbert Hunt. Mr. Hunt has left an incredible legacy as a successful businessman, philanthropist, and most importantly, a dedicated family man. We join his family and friends in mourning the loss of Mr. Hunt – a local legend whose impact will forever be with us. We are extremely grateful to the Hunt family for including the Retina Foundation amongst the organizations for donations in Mr. Hunt’s memory. https://lnkd.in/g-7kJdpP

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the launch party to celebrate our upcoming Visionary Luncheon on May 15th at the Meyerson Symphony Center. Our event co-chairs, Jennifer and Willam Voss, shared their goal to raise $1M to support the Retina Foundation. It was an evening of hope as we heard first-hand how the Retina Foundation positively changes lives through innovative research and treatment to save vision. And it was inspiring to be amongst many community leaders who support the work of the Retina Foundation and are collaborating to elevate Dallas as medical destination and leader in life sciences: Wayne White of Communities Foundation of Texas Lyda Hill, Founder of Lyda Hill Philanthropies Tom Luce, 2024 Visionary Lunch Honorary Chair, Chairman Emeritus of Texas 2036 Doug Hawthorne, 2023 Visionary Lunch Honorary Chair, CEO Emeritus of Texas Health Resources Barbara and Steve Durham, 2023 Visionary Lunch Co-Chair, Chairman of Americas Strategic Holdings Lynn Fisher, Vice President of The Rosewood Foundation Interested in attending the Visionary Luncheon and learning more about how you can support the Retina Foundation? Please visit https://lnkd.in/ehxafg7R to purchase tickets and for sponsorship information.

Choroideremia (#CHM) is a rare inherited retinal disease (#IRD) that affects the retina causing progressive vision loss and ultimately leads to total blindness. Dr. Mark Pennesi, a world-renowned expert in rare IRDs and our Director of Ophthalmic Genetics, will share the latest research and advancements with CHM patients at the Choroideremia Research Foundation - Cure CHM Foundation-Cure CHM’s Dallas Regional Patient Meeting on Saturday, April 20 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Dallas – Love Field. As the medical destination for innovative research on degenerative retinal diseases, our experts at the Retina Foundation are often asked to speak at events locally, nationally and across the globe to share their latest research, findings and clinical trials. For more information about the upcoming CHM patient meeting in Dallas, please visit the link below. https://lnkd.in/gVYfBBdQ

We recently took our Eye on Innovation, The Series event on the road to Northwest Arkansas. Dr. David Birch and Dr. Mark Pennesi met with local residents who are battling rare, incurable retinal diseases, along with their family members, to share our latest advancements and clinical trials. For several guests in attendance, it was their first-time hearing from retinal disease experts about new solutions and potential treatments on the horizon. We were honored to receive a $15,000 contribution for the Retina Foundation’s Scientists Fund to further our groundbreaking research. This event would not have been possible without the leadership and dedication of Retina Foundation patient Jenny Schisler, Communications & Admissions Assistant at Shiloh Christian School. Thank you, Jenny, for bringing the Retina Foundation and the Northwest Arkansas community together! We also want to thank Tia Tomlin, CFP®, past president of the Retina Foundation Board of Directors, for moderating the panel and Mike Stevens, Franchise Owner, H&R Block and Randall Harriman, Senior Vice President of Signature Bank of Arkansas, for their generosity and support with co-hosting the event. This was a collaborative effort all the way around, and we are grateful and humbled by the warm reception we received from the Northwest Arkansas community. We look forward to making this an annual event in Northwest Arkansas!