Chemical Research in Chinese Universities ›› 2026, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (2): 436-455.doi: 10.1007/s40242-026-6003-6

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Peptide-based Biosensing and In vivo Imaging Approaches for Early Detection and Targeted Therapy of Diabetic Retinopathy

WEI Qinsong, MA Bing, WANG Weizhi   

  1. Key Laboratory of Medical Molecule Science and Pharmaceutics Engineering of Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Key Laboratory of Cluster Science of Ministry of Education, Beijing Key Laboratory of Photoelectronic/Electro-photonic Conversion Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, P. R. China
  • Received:2026-01-04 Online:2026-04-01 Published:2026-04-02
  • Contact: MA Bing,E-mail:mabing@bit.edu.cn;WANG Weizhi,E-mail:wangwz@bit.edu.cn E-mail:mabing@bit.edu.cn;wangwz@bit.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 22322403, 22574013), the Beijing Natural Science Foundation, China (Nos. 2222029, QY25243), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, China (No. 2025CX01014), and the Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province, China (No. B2025105025).

Abstract: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a major microvascular complication of diabetes, with early dysfunction occurring at molecular and cellular levels that traditional clinical imaging fails to capture. Advances in in vivo imaging and biosensing enable real-time, dynamic, and molecular-scale assessment of retinal pathology. Peptides, owing to their high specificity, tunable structures, and biocompatibility, serve as ideal linkers between molecular recognition and imaging or sensing signal output. This review highlights recent progress in peptide-based in vivo imaging and biosensing strategies for DR, emphasizing probe design principles, molecular targeting mechanisms, and current application challenges. By integrating chemical biology with emerging analytical technologies, peptide-driven approaches hold strong promise for early diagnosis and continuous monitoring of DR, facilitating future translation toward precision ophthalmic medicine.

Key words: Peptide, Biosensing, In vivo imaging, Diabetic retinopathy