BrightFocus Foundation’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research program has awarded a three-year, $300,000 research grant to Monica Santisteban, PhD, assistant professor of Medicine, Neurology and Pharmacology, to investigate the role of the renin angiotensin system in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease pathology.
Santisteban is also the recipient of BrightFocus’ 2025 Distinguished Investigator Award for Alzheimer’s Disease Research, which is awarded to the top-ranked applicant in the Standard Award Alzheimer’s Disease Research Program. This achievement highlights Santisteban as an innovator and scholar and celebrates the beginning of her award term.
Santisteban’s research project will investigate whether the renin angiotensin system plays an important role in the progression of pathology in Alzheimer’s disease.
Over seven million Americans aged 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s disease, a progressive, terminal brain disorder that has no known cause or cure. Unless scientists can unlock the secrets of this disease, the number of cases is expected to triple by 2050.
“This year’s grant recipients represent some of the boldest, most promising investigators in vision and brain health research,” said BrightFocus president and CEO Stacy Pagos Haller. “Their groundbreaking work brings hope to millions around the world with these debilitating conditions.”
BrightFocus Foundation is a premier private nonprofit funder of early-stage research around the world to discover cures for diseases of mind and sight and provides expert information to the public. Through its programs Alzheimer’s Disease Research, Macular Degeneration Research and National Glaucoma Research, BrightFocus has awarded more than $300 million in innovative research grants.
