Yu CG, et al. - Authors assessed if angiopoietin-like 3 (ANGPTL3) and angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4) were differentially related to the severity of retinopathy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Findings suggested an independent and strong association of ANGPTL3 with diabetic retinopathy (DR) progression in all stages. The onset and development of DR in T2DM patients could be postponed by blockade of ANGPTL3 signal in the retina. Compared to ANGPTL3 and VEGF, serum ANGPTL4 was a weak marker for DR severity. Collectively, for the treatment of DR in T2DM patients, ANGPTL3 represented a new and novel therapeutic candidate.