Hedge Fund Manager Bill Ackman Donates $400 Million for Brain Research

Bill Ackman said his 26-year-old daughter Lucy went blind after a brain hemorrhage and later underwent the world’s first experimental mitochondrial transplant in the eye, though the treatment was not ideal. According to Sina Finance, the procedure was performed after emergency approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and doctors at Mount Sinai Hospital injected mitochondria taken from her leg muscle into the aqueous humor of both eyes. Ackman said Lucy’s pupils responded to light again after the surgery, and she said she could see shapes and shadows with her left eye. However, the improvement faded after about four weeks, and the treatment did not restore normal vision. He also said the surgery did not trigger inflammation or rejection. Ackman said on X on Monday, “It is my daughter,” and added that mitochondria have “amazing potential.” He said the family observed that the initial injection had lasting effects, although the response had weakened compared with the immediate reaction after the injection. He also wrote that they are studying a plan to inject her eye more frequently. The eye-related research was released as a preprint on August 10 and has not yet been peer reviewed. The therapy remains highly experimental and involved only one participant. Ackman said his daughter’s condition prompted him and his wife, architect Neri Oxman, to co-found the Ackman-Oxman Institute, a new brain research and rehabilitation center in Manhattan. He has pledged about $400 million to the project, including a transfer of 10 million shares of Pershing Square company stock to the institute, and said he plans to donate an additional amount of equal or greater value.