Three Philadelphia scientists received the 2026 Breakthrough Prize for developing the first FDA-approved gene therapy for a genetic disease. The million award recognizes their work on Luxturna.
Dr. Jean Bennett, Dr. Albert Maguire, and Dr. Katherine High developed the therapy for inherited retinal diseases caused by RPE65 gene mutations. Luxturna was approved by the FDA in 2017.
"This therapy gives hope to patients who were told they would go blind," said Dr. Bennett. The treatment delivers a functional copy of the affected gene to patients' eyes.
The Breakthrough Prize is funded by tech entrepreneurs including Mark Zuckerberg and Sergey Brin. This year's ceremony will be held in November at NASA's Ames Research Center.