Gene Therapy for Diabetic Retinopathy in Animal Models and Humans

Gene therapy is considered as one of the innovative treatment modalities for diabetic retinopathy (DR). Since genuine animal models of DR are limited, only a few studies have reported the efficacy of gene therapy. For preclinical study of DR, spontaneously diabetic Torii (SDT) rat is a valuable model. Fortunately, we could evaluate the efficacy of adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated gene therapy in SDT rats and proved that sFlt-1 expression prevented DR progression. Because of a limited number of large-animal models of DR, it is uncertain whether gene therapy experiments using dogs or monkeys allow reliable conclusions. On the other hand, owing to the recent progress in AAV-mediated gene therapy for retinal diseases in monkeys and humans, gene therapy for DR using AAV vectors may become a reality in the near future.