The study, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, highlights a new therapeutic approach that could replace or complement frequent, invasive eye injections for millions of patients with diabetes.
Diabetic retinopathy affects nearly 30% of people living with diabetes, and the nonproliferative form (NPDR) represents the vast majority of cases.
Currently, standard treatments such as intravitreal anti-VEGF injections are reserved for advanced stages of the disease, after significant, often irreversible vision loss has already occurred. Because these injections require regular administration into the eye, early intervention has remained impractical.