Immunomodulation Offers New Hope for Diabetic Retinopathy

A research team led by Univ.-Prof. Dr. Thomas Langmann, Co-Speaker of SFB 1607 and C05 project leader, has uncovered promising new therapeutic avenues for diabetic retinopathy (DR). The study, recently published in JCI Insight, highlights the potential of immune modulation to prevent retinal damage in this major diabetes-related eye disease.

Traditionally considered a vascular disorder, DR is now understood to involve complex immune processes. The study from the Laboratory for Experimental Immunology of the Eye at the University Hospital of Cologne and the Faculty of Medicine focuses on macrophages and microglial cells—key immune players driving retinal inflammation.

Under the supervision of Prof. Langmann, postdoctoral researcher Dr. Urbanus Kinuthia used mouse models mimicking human DR pathology by inducing pericyte loss and PDGFB deficiency. These conditions triggered sustained inflammation and blood-retina barrier breakdown—both reversible through targeted pharmacological modulation of microglia.

The findings mark a paradigm shift: targeting retinal immune cells could complement existing DR treatments and offer new protection against vision loss. This research underscores the growing relevance of immunological mechanisms in eye diseases and provides fresh momentum for translational approaches within the SFB 1607 network.

Original publication:
Kinuthia et al., Immunomodulation of inflammatory responses preserves retinal integrity in murine models of pericyte-depletion retinopathy. JCI Insight. 2025 Jul 1;10(15):e184465. DOI:10.1172/jci.insight.184465.