Current Strategic Research Partnerships:
FFB/Donald K Johnson Partnership (2009-2013) is a $2,000,000 partnership with The Toronto General Western Hospital Foundation (TGWHF) and the University Health Network (an academic research hospital affiliated with the University of Toronto). The partnership will focus on the causes, treatments and ultimately the cures for retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration and related retinal diseases. Vision scientists will pursue advancements in the medical understanding of serious eye diseases, with the potential to lead to innovative treatments and cures.
FFB is grateful to Donald K. Johnson, the inspiration behind this collaborative vision research partnership. Partial funding of the 2009-2013 agreement includes research funding by The Estate of Olga Variolo and The FFB/BMO Financial Postdoctoral Fellowship at The Toronto Western Research Institute – Donald K. Johnson Eye Centre. FFB continues to seek funders to underwrite the last $400,000 of this commitment.
FFB/CIHR Gene Therapy Partnership (2009-2014) was awarded to develop novel gene therapies for a number of degenerative retinal diseases. The project will be led by Dr. Robert Molday, a cell biologist from the University of British Columbia. The team’s other experts in gene therapy are Dr. Jim Hu from the University of Toronto, and Dr. Bill Hauswirth from the University of Florida. Dr. Marinko Sarunic of Simon Fraser University will be responsible for the retinal imaging component of the project. Dr. Robert Koenekoop will oversee the visual function testing and the gene analyses. The strategy is to replace the defective gene with a “new healthy gene” in specific animal models for retinal degenerative diseases with the aim of slowing photoreceptor loss and partially restoring vision. Success in these animal models would lead to future human clinical trials.
FFB/CIHR Stem Cell Therapy Partnership (2009-2013) was awarded to develop stem cell therapies to reverse blindness. The research team includes seven principal scientists led by Dr. Valerie Wallace, Senior Scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. Members of the team include: Dr. Derek van der Kooy and Dr. Vincent Tropepe of the University of Toronto, Dr. May Griffith of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Dr. Bernard Hurley of The Ottawa Hospital, Dr. Per Fagerholm of Linköping University in Sweden, and Dr. Carol Schuurmans of the University of Calgary. Stem cell therapies have the potential to benefit more than one million Canadians affected by degenerative eye diseases; by replacing cells that have been lost through disease or injury, stem cell therapies could potentially benefit anyone, at any stage of eye disease. They will also develop more efficient transplantation methods that help new eye cells integrate with existing tissue to restore lost vision. FFB's committment has been made possible through Sun Life Financial.
Patient Registry (2005-10) was awarded to initiate a registry of patients affected by retinitis pigmentosa (RP). It will record clinical diagnostic and genetic data, while protecting the confidentiality of patients’ personal information. Thus it will provide a database for relating the clinical characteristics of RP to specific genetic mutations, thus identifying patientsfor testing new therapies as they emerge. The overall goal is for the registry to facilitate the capture and flow of information and ultimately, the safe delivery of vision-saving interventions to the appropriate candidates.
Past Strategic Research Partnerships:
FFB/Stem Cell Network Partnership was established in 2003 to support fellowships and operating grants over several years in biomedical research and therapeutic applications relevant to retinal degenerative diseases. The FFB matches funds provided by the Stem Cell Network (SCN). The applications are reviewed and funded through the SCN’s Scientific Advisory Board. For more information, please visit: www.stemcellnetwork.ca.
FFB/TD Financial Group Translational Eye Research Program (2006-08) was awarded to be shared between two of Canada’s top ‘gene hunters’ at the University of Alberta and McGill University. The grant was used at these research centres to provide electrophysiological testing and genetic counselling, at no cost to the study patients. This testing has produced valuable DNA samples and patient data from both Canadian and non-Canadian sources. This information will be entered into the core database, where it will be available for further clinical genetic studies and identification of patients suitable for gene- and mutation-specific treatments.
FFB/Retina International/TELUS International Retinal Diagnostic Chip Project (2005-2006) was awarded to fund Phase I development of the world’s first diagnostic screening chip for autosomal recessive retinitis pigmentosa, as part of an international collaboration. The screening chip aimed to provide five immediate benefits for the parents and children with RP: confirming the clinical diagnosis; providing a correct prognosis; pre-natal screening; carrier screening; and identifying patients who may benefit from specific clinical trials. As of 2008, thirty “chips” have been developed, which are capable of identifying 2000 mutations that cause hereditary blindness. The chips do this both quickly (in about 4 hours) and inexpensively ($200); by way of comparison, genetic testing by standard technology (which requires sequencing all the known RP genes) would take months to years and cost thousands of dollars.