SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 16, 2015 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Glaucoma Research Foundation President and CEO, Thomas M. Brunner announced today that Adrienne Graves PhD, Nobel LaureateShinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD, and Masayo Takahashi, MD, PhD will be honored at the Glaucoma 360 Annual Gala on February 5, 2015 at San Francisco's historic Palace Hotel.
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The Catalyst Award, Glaucoma Research Foundation's highest honor, will be presented to Adrienne L. Graves, PhD, in recognition for her outstanding leadership and many contributions to ophthalmology and for her dedicated service on Glaucoma Research Foundation's Board of Directors. "Dr. Graves is a visual scientist by training and has dedicated her career to research to preserve vision. In 2012 she co-founded Glaucoma 360, an innovative meeting to advance new therapies for glaucoma. We are thrilled to recognize Adrienne for her extraordinary achievements and dedication to the field of glaucoma," Mr. Brunner said.
Renowned stem-cell researchers Shinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD, 2012 Nobel Laureate, andMasayo Takahashi, MD, PhD, 2014 Stem Cell Person of the Year will receive The Visionary Award to honor their pioneering work to improve global healthcare and treat blinding eye disease.
Dr. Yamanaka received The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2012 for his revolutionary discovery of a process to create induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells from patients' own skin cells in 2006 at Japan'sKyoto University. Dr. Takahashi, an ophthalmologist and scientist at the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe, Japan, is the first scientist to implant iPS cells in a patient to treat macular degeneration. Mr. Brunner noted, "We are honored to recognize Drs. Yamanaka and Takahashi for their ground-breaking research with stem cells and provide our donors with an opportunity to meet these two extraordinary scientists."
Co-chaired by Nobuko Saito Cleary and Gary Cleary, PharmD, PhD, Marguerite McDonald, MD, FACS, and Robert N. Weinreb, MD, the Annual Gala includes a reception, silent auction and dinner to celebrate the scientists who have done so much to help in the fight against glaucoma, the leading cause of irreversible blindness.
The Foundation's Annual Gala launches Glaucoma 360, a unique series of three events that includes the New Horizons Forum, a full-day meeting dedicated to innovations in glaucoma therapy, and concludes with a Continuing Medical Education Symposium for ophthalmologists. All proceeds from Glaucoma 360 support Glaucoma Research Foundation's research and education programs. To learn more about the February 57, 2015 events or to register, visit: www.glaucoma360.org.
Founded in San Francisco in 1978, Glaucoma Research Foundation is America's oldest and most experienced institution dedicated solely to its mission: Preventing vision loss from glaucoma by investing in innovative research, education and support with the ultimate goal of finding a cure. The Foundation has a proven track record of innovative, results-oriented research and produces definitive educational materials used by eye care professionals across the country. The Glaucoma Research Foundation website, www.glaucoma.org, provides valuable information about glaucoma to more than 3 million visitors annually.
For more information about the Glaucoma Research Foundation's Annual Gala, to sponsor a table, or to purchase individual tickets, please contact Nancy Graydon at 415.986.3162 or ngraydon@glaucoma.org or visit www.glaucoma360.org
Media Contact:Andrew Jackson, Glaucoma Research Foundation, 4159863162, ajackson@glaucoma.org
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SOURCE Glaucoma Research Foundation
