The vitreous humor from proliferative diabetic retinopathy patients: translational implications

Purpose : Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), a major complication of diabetes mellitus, represents the main cause of blindness in the Western world. PDR results from the imbalance of pro- and anti-angiogenic factors, being VEGF the most relevant player. Nevertheless, limitations to anti-VEGF therapies do exist and the local production of other growth factors may affect the response to drug treatment. In this frame, PDR vitreous samples may provide information for a better understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease and used for preclinical evaluation of novel drug candidates.