Dr. Jordi Monés: “Private investment is crucial in our fight”

The Medical Director of the Barcelona Macula Foundation: Research for Vision, Dr. Jordi Monés, has called for financial resources to be invested in medical research as the means of eradicating eye diseases like Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), Pigmentary Retinosis and Stargardt’s Disease.

In an interview published by the journal of the Official College of Opticians and Optometrists of Andalusia (COOOA), Dr. Monés says that “at a time when public money is scarce, we depend on the involvement of private companies and individuals in our fight. We need them; they are crucial for success”. He adds that “with the right resources, there will soon be a solution to many types of blindness”. “Stem cells will cure some types of blindness. Not only the blindness caused by AMD but the type produced by other degenerative pathologies that selectively affect certain retinal cells or layers. We are highly aware of the potential of these therapies. How soon they come to fruition depends on the level of effort devoted to the research”.

Dr Monés highlighted the BMF’s involvement in international research projects, in which it collaborates closely with top-tier partners. These projects include EYE-RISK or Pro4Vip, supported by the European Commission under the umbrella of the Horizon 2020 programme.