Scientists Win $18.75M for Gene Therapies That Restore Sight

Children born with a rare form of blindness are now getting driver's licenses, thanks to three scientists who just won one of the world's most prestigious science prizes.

The 2026 Breakthrough Prize Foundation announced $18.75 million in awards this week to scientists whose work is changing lives right now. Six teams received $3 million each for discoveries ranging from gene therapies that cure devastating diseases to solving fundamental mysteries about how the universe works.

Jean Bennett, Katherine High, and Albert Maguire shared one prize for creating the first FDA-approved gene replacement therapy. Their treatment helps children with Leber congenital amaurosis, a rare inherited disease that typically causes total blindness by early adulthood.

The therapy works by replacing a defective gene that produces a broken protein critical for vision. Bennett and her husband Maguire first tested it successfully in Swedish Briard dogs, which they adopted after restoring their sight.

Nearly all eligible patients in the United States have now received the treatment. Kids who were going blind can now attend regular schools, play outside at night, and live independently.

Stuart Orkin and Swee Lay Thein won another prize for transforming sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia from incurable to treatable through gene editing. Both blood disorders were once considered death sentences, especially in developing countries.

Rosa Rademakers and Bryan Traynor received recognition for identifying a key genetic cause of ALS and frontotemporal dementia. Their discovery helps explain why these devastating neurological diseases develop and points toward future treatments.

The foundation also honored physicists who measured the magnetic moment of a subatomic particle called a muon with mind-blowing precision, and a mathematician who revealed deep truths about how waves behave.

The Ripple Effect

The impact extends far beyond the diseases these scientists targeted. Their pioneering gene therapy work established regulatory pathways and manufacturing approaches that opened doors for treating dozens of other genetic conditions.

Since the first vision therapy approval, over 100 retinal gene therapy trials have launched. More than half a dozen are currently in late-stage testing, each potentially helping people with different forms of inherited blindness.

The foundation has now awarded more than $340 million over 15 years to scientists advancing human knowledge. This year's ceremony in Los Angeles also recognized 15 early-career physicists and mathematicians with smaller prizes to support their emerging work.

"This year's laureates show what great science can do," said Mark Zuckerberg and Dr. Priscilla Chan. "Deepen our understanding of the world and lead to discoveries that improve millions of lives."

Patients treated over a decade ago are maintaining their vision improvements, proving these cures last.