"Blocking interleukin-6 may stop the small blood vessels from leaking," Dr. Zhang says. "Interleukin-6 receptor neutralizing antibody could be a new therapeutic approach for treating diabetic retinopathy. It is already in clinical trial for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and may provide a possible immediate benefit for diabetic retinopathy patients."

Says Dr. Caldwell, "If you can control the blood glucose levels, you can reduce the risk of diabetic retinopathy. Ideally, you would try to control the levels perfectly, but this is nearly impossible to achieve so other therapies are needed, and this would be one of them."

Dr. Zhang earned a doctorate in biochemistry and cell biology from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a bachelor's degree in biochemistry from Yunnan University.

Source: Medical College of Georgia