Wynn Donates $25 Million to Blindness Research

The Las Vegas casino tycoon Steve Wynn has announced that he donated $25 million to support blindness research at the University of Iowa having been convinced that the university’s scientists are leading the way in a search for a cure.

Wynn has said that the researchers are “knocking on the door” of a discovery that could cure blindness for millions.

He believes that scientists will be able to use stem cells to restore vision by growing new cells and transplanting them into patients’ eyes.

Wynn said, “This is an exhilarating, quite exciting place. To a scientist, this is like going to a rock concert. I mean there is stuff going on in these rooms here that, to put it in the common vernacular is really far out.”

The money will be used to help the university build a new laboratory to grow stem cells, hire scientists and accelerate studies already underway. Wynn also pointed out that federal money for research has been tight in the last few years and private donors are now needed more than ever before.