A new drug for treating diabetic retinal disease?

A new study led by Queen’s University Belfast researchers has explored the potential of the drug 2-HDP for protecting vision in diabetes patients

2 min read

A man sitting in his bedroom holds a pill bottle in his hands. He has emptied some pills into his palm

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Selina Powell

17 December 2025

Research published in Diabetologia – the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes – has explored the potential of a new drug in protecting against diabetic retinal disease.

Scientists from Queen’s University Belfast, King’s College London, the Medway School of Pharmacy, and the Medical University of South Carolina collaborated to test the therapeutic effects of the drug, 2-HDP, as part of a study that was funded by Diabetes UK.

Using a rat model of diabetes, the researchers found that 2-HDP protected the retina’s nerve cells and blood vessels, while also reducing inflammation and preserving visual function.

Professor Tim Curtis, from the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine at Queen’s University Belfast, highlighted that diabetic retinal disease can often begin without symptoms.

“Current treatments tend to target the later stages of the disease, when significant and often irreversible damage has already occurred. With this study, we wanted to explore whether early drug intervention could stop the disease in its tracks before it leads to serious sight loss,” he said.

Diabetes UK research communications officer, Mikayla Hu, highlighted that current treatments for diabetic eye disease do not target changes in the retina early enough.

“We’re proud to have supported this study, which suggests the potential of a new treatment to clear out harmful substances in the retina – and intervene to protect people’s vision much earlier than is currently possible. We look forward to seeing how this early-stage research progresses and moves us closer to a treatment that could benefit people living with diabetes,” she said.