On Monday, Bill Ackman revealed that his 26-year-old daughter, Lucy, was the patient who received an experimental mitochondrial treatment after a brain hemorrhage left her blind, offering a fleeting but potentially significant sign of neurological recovery.
Ackman Reveals Daughter Received Experimental Eye Treatment
In February, Lucy suffered a massive brain hemorrhage and was found unconscious in her Brooklyn apartment. Doctors performed emergency surgery, but the injury damaged her optic nerve and left her unable to see. Her pupils also stopped responding to light.
After receiving emergency approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, doctors at Mount Sinai extracted mitochondria — the energy-producing structures inside cells — from Lucy’s leg muscle and injected them into the fluid of both eyes, according to Nature.
Mitochondrial Transplant Showed Temporary Visual Response
Following the procedure, Lucy’s pupils began responding to light again and she reported seeing shapes and shadows through her left eye.
However, the improvement faded after about four weeks and the treatment did not restore normal vision. The procedure also did not cause inflammation or rejection.
“It was my daughter,” the Pershing Square Capital Management CEO said in a post on X, adding that “mitochondria has amazing potential.”
Ackman said the family has seen a sustained benefit from the initial injection, although it is weaker than the immediate response.
“We are working on a method to inject her eyes with more frequency,” he wrote.
The eye study, posted as a preprint Aug. 10, has not yet undergone peer review. The treatment remains highly experimental and involved a single patient.
Ackman Pours $400 Million Into Brain Research
Lucy’s injury has also prompted Ackman and his wife, architect Neri Oxman, to launch the Ackman Oxman Institute, a new brain research and rehabilitation center in Manhattan.
Ackman has committed roughly $400 million to the project, including 10 million shares of Pershing Square Inc. transferred to the institute. He has said he plans to make another gift of similar or greater value.
Price Action: Pershing Square closed at $42.92 on Monday, up 1.78%, while shares rose another 1.12% to $43.40 in after-hours trading, according to Benzinga Pro.
Benzinga Edge rankings indicate that Pershing Square’s stock has maintained a positive price trend across the short, medium and long term.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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