The University of Pittsburgh and the Eye and Ear Foundation of Pittsburgh have received a $2.18 million grant from the Gilbert Family Foundation to support research focused on preventing blindness caused by neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). This funding is part of the foundation’s Vision Restoration Initiative (VRI), which involves collaboration among 15 research centers.
Anantha Shekhar, Pitt’s senior vice chancellor for the health sciences and John and Gertrude Petersen Dean of the School of Medicine, stated, “The support of VRI has been key in moving forward our efforts to find solutions for this currently incurable disease. This latest round of funding will allow us to better understand the optic nerve degeneration associated with NF1 and find novel treatments for the debilitating condition.”
NF1 is a genetic disorder that leads to changes in skin pigment and tumors on nerve tissue, including within the eye. The condition affects about one in every 2,500 people. Complications can include premature death and vision loss.
John Ash, E. Ronald Salvitti Chair in Ophthalmology Research at Pitt’s School of Medicine, was invited by the Gilbert Family Foundation to join its VRI “Dream Team” studying NF1 and vision. The grant also supports new faculty member Silmara de Lima, who joined Pitt from Boston Children’s Hospital in 2025.
José-Alain Sahel, Distinguished Professor and Chairman of Pitt’s Department of Ophthalmology, said: “Dr. de Lima and her mentor and colleague, Larry Benowitz, will combine their research expertise with Dr. Ash to develop novel therapeutic solutions to preserve and restore vision in NF1 patients. Their research is moving the science forward, and the support from the Gilbert Family Foundation will make it possible for us to enhance the Department of Ophthalmology’s state-of-the-art facilities, test and validate therapies developed here and elsewhere, and explore new targets.”
Sahel added: “Equally important as the financial support associated with our partnership with VRI is the collaborative environment it creates among some of the best minds in this field, starting right here in Pittsburgh.”
The grant outlines plans for Ash’s and de Lima’s laboratories to collaborate closely with other VRI grantees to establish shared practices for assessing NF1 pathology as well as optic nerve structure and function.
Laura Grannemann, executive director of the Gilbert Family Foundation said: “Curing NF1 requires us to think differently. The disease is complex, but the scientific and translational opportunities in front of us have never been stronger. By merging cutting-edge biomedical and information technologies with a commitment to collaboration across scientific disciplines, we believe transformative breakthroughs are possible. The Vision Restoration Initiative exemplifies this approach by bringing together leading researchers to tackle one of NF1’s most devastating complications. We are committed to producing therapies that restore vision and ultimately cure this disease.”
Members involved in VRI will meet regularly to coordinate their efforts across institutions while sharing results at conferences nationally and internationally.
Ash concluded: “I cannot thank the Gilbert Foundation enough for its support of our work and that of our partner institutions. The Foundation’s confidence in our collective ability to identify solutions that restore sight for individuals affected by NF1 is transformative. Progress in individual laboratories can take us only so far, but when all 15 institutions come together to collaborate, share discoveries and build on one another’s successes, we can achieve far more and do so much more rapidly for the patients we serve.”
