December 20, 2007 Johns Hopkins Receives Grant to Lead Trachoma Research Gates Foundation Grant is One of the Largest Ever for Trachoma Research

BALTIMORE, MD -- The Johns Hopkins University has received a $10 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to lead a consortium that will study ways to improve the treatment of trachoma and to accelerate progress towards the ultimate goal of eliminating the disease. Trachoma is the leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide and affects hundreds of millions of people primarily in poor and rural regions.

To read the full press release, visit the The Johns Hopkins Center for Global Health Web site.

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Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.