Company Profile
Gilbert Family Foundation
Company Overview
The Gilbert Family Foundation is a private nonprofit foundation founded by philanthropists Dan and Jennifer Gilbert to address their two priorities and passions: accelerating a cure for neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) and transforming the city of Detroit, Michigan. The Foundation has embarked on two bold NF1 research initiatives: (1) the Gene Therapy Initiative (GTI), to develop curative therapies that address the underlying genetic abnormalities in NF1 patients, and (2) the Vision Restoration Initiative (VRI), inspired by their son’s loss of vision from NF1 and with a goal of advancing vision restoration therapies.
In December 2018, GTI announced the award of more than $12 million dollars to eight multi-disciplinary research teams to identify which gene therapy techniques are most promising for NF1. VRI launched in April 2019, awarding more than $11M over 3 years to a consortium of distinguished ophthalmology and NF1 expert investigators who are working towards the development of endogenous cell replacement, exogenous cell replacement, and neuro-enhancement therapies.