Gifts make good

The generous support of the donors to IFOND continues to allow important progress in clinical and basic science investigations of Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON). From 2001 we had sponsored regular annual field trips to rural Brazil in order to study the largest LHON pedigree in the world. These investigations have been fully described in previous reports. They have also led to numerous peer-reviewed publications and Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) annual symposium presentations. These investigations and publications have changed the face of LHON as studied, taught and clinically treated. This is an outstanding achievement for the researchers who punch well above their weight on shoe string budgets and volunteer support. Much more needs to be done.

Active IFOND projects

The projects listed below are currently approved and are in need of your support! Please help.

LHON OUTCOME METRICS IFOND FUNDING REQUEST

Impact and Significance:
The goal of this study is to determine whether this virtual-reality based Multi-Luminance Mobility Test is practical, reliable, and more meaningful than standard vision tests. If successful, this approach could improve how vision loss is measured in LHON and provide a portable method for assessing functional outcomes in a measurable way which has already been accepted by the FDA as a clinical outcome metric.

Rustum Karanjia, PhD, MD -researcher
Assistant Professor, Ophthalmology, Ottawa Eye Institute and VP Research, Department of Ophthalmology
University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Visiting Researcher, Neuro-Ophthalmology
Doheny Eye Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, United States of America

Astrocytes as drivers of pathogenicity in Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy: “Stars in LHON”

Elucidating Cytokine-Mediated Pro-Inflammatory Response in the Pathogenesis of Optic Nerve Head Injury in Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON)

Impact and Significance:
Extensive research has established that the inflammatory response is a critical factor in most neurodegenerative disorders. In contrast, reports on the involvement of inflammation in the pathophysiology of LHON are limited. Patients with primary mitochondrial diseases (PMDs) show neuro-inflammatory signatures besides neurodegeneration.

Study Objectives:
To characterize the cytokine profiles in LHON optic nerve head samples and identify the key pro-inflammatory mediators involved in the pathogenesis of optic nerve degeneration.

To explore the potential of existing cytokine inhibitors, such as TNF-α and IL-6 blockers, as repurposed therapeutic strategies to mitigate the pro-inflammatory response and protect the optic nerve in LHON.

Maryam Golmohammadi, MD – researcher
Alfredo A. Sadun, MD, PhD – Supervisor
Doheny Eye Institute, Pasadena, California

Research IFOND helped sponsor

Here find links to published peer reviewed papers acknowledging IFOND's help. This research helped stimulate a cascade of broad research on mitochondrial and optic nerve disease.

Efficient funding

IFOND is an extremely lean, all volunteer 501(c)(3) tax status registered nonprofit. We have no salaried associates. Our process minimizes costs and maximizes funding for researchers' direct, non administrative expenses. All donations are tax deductible in the United States of America. Our recent tax returns are searchable here e.g. latest IRS website listed year 2023 here. Tax Year 2022 Form 990EZ and Tax Year 2022 IRS Filing Acceptance. Also see here. Our strong scientific board includes many of the prominent world leading published researchers in optic neuropathies who plan, guide and do research in optic nerve disease. If this big bang for your buck, open disclosure model appeals to you, please donate. If you are a researcher in optic neuropathy, we welcome your funding application.

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Last edited: 8 September 2026