The University of Houston has announced a $1.1 million grant from the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation in support of gene therapy research addressing Usher Syndrome.

Usher Syndrome is a rare pediatric disorder that can cause deafness and blindness, and annually affects as many as 25,000 children in the United States.

The award will help fund ongoing efforts by biomedical engineers Muna Naash and Muayyad Al-Ubaidi at the university’s Cullen College of Engineering to develop a platform to advance gene therapy as a treatment for the condition. The funding—from the foundation established by Giving Pledge signatory George Mitchell, who died in 2013—will enable the Laboratory for Retinal Molecular and Cellular Biology and Gene Therapy to continue its work begun under a $1.6 million grant in 2023 from the National Eye Institute.

“By supporting this research, we hope to accelerate progress for all families affected by this devastating disease,” said Mitchell Foundation president Katherine Lorenz. “Every scientific breakthrough brings us closer to meaningful treatments.”