Scientists discover early trigger of diabetic eye disease, paving the way for new treatments

23 October 2025

Research has identified a protein responsible for the earliest stages of diabetic retinopathy – and reveals a potential therapy that could protect vision loss for millions.

The cover image of Science Translational Medicine

A breakthrough study, funded by Diabetes UK, Moorfields Eye Charity and Wellcome, has identified a key protein that triggers diabetic retinopathy – a condition caused by high blood sugar damaging the retina’s blood vessels and a leading cause of sight loss among working-age adults.

The discovery, by scientists at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, has the potential to revolutionise how the disease is treated, shifting the treatment from managing late-stage damage to preventing vision loss before it begins.

The new research, published in Science Translational Medicine, reveals that a protein called LRG1 plays a critical role in initiating the earliest stage of retinal damage after diabetes develops. LRG1 causes the cells that wrap around the eye’s smallest blood vessels to constrict excessively and ‘squeeze’ them, reducing oxygen supply to the retina and laying the groundwork for long-term visual impairment.

Importantly, when researchers blocked LRG1 activity in mouse models of diabetes, they were able to prevent this early damage and preserve healthy eye function.

Dr Giulia De Rossi, Senior Research Fellow at UCL, and Diabetes UK RD Lawrence Fellow, said: “Our discovery shows that diabetic eye disease starts earlier than we thought, and LRG1 is a key culprit in this early damage. Targeting this protein could give us a way to protect vision before serious damage occurs and prevent, rather than treat, blindness in millions of people living with diabetes.”

This work, funded by Diabetes UK, Moorfields Eye Charity and Wellcome, is the culmination of several years of research into the role of LRG1 in ocular disease undertaken by the group at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology.

For the full story about the new research, please visit UCL News.

How the UCL Translational Research Office helped

Dr De Rossi, the first author of the newly published paper, was a winner of the Pilot Data Scheme managed by the UCL Translational Research Office (TRO) and the UCL Therapeutic Innovation Networks, funded by UCL/Wellcome Trust Translational Partnership Award. The proof-of-concept funding served as an enabler for researchers to generate their pilot data for translational research projects. In Dr De Rossi's case, it was to support the preclinical dataset necessary to take the anti-LRG1 antibody into clinical trials and constituted the foundation for follow-on translational funding support.

The UCL Translational Research Office (TRO) has also worked closely with Professors John Greenwood and Emeritus Stephen Moss from the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, supporting the translational strategy for investigating LRG1’s role in disease. The TRO managed two MRC awards for the project, enabling the development of a large-scale GMP manufacturing process and toxicology studies, and also supported the preclinical work.

Professors Greenwood and Moss later patented their work and, with support from UCL Business, founded the spinout company Senya Therapeutics.

Dr Pamela Tranter, Head of the Translational Research Group at the TRO, said: “We are proud to support research projects like this, and it’s great to see impactful work from UCL progressing. By working closely with our academics, from shaping translational strategies to securing funding, we’re advancing therapeutic innovation that delivers real benefits for patients.”

An image with the portrait and quote from Dr Giulia De Rossi

A graphic with the portrait and quote from Dr Pamela Tranter

Cover image credit: Science Translational Medicine, Dr Giulia De Rossi

Scientists discover early trigger of diabetic eye disease, paving the way for new treatments

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