HES5 and diabetic retinopathy: As expected, genes associated with hematopoietic processes were hypomethylated in FVM with respect to PVR, including transcription factors (ETS1, HES5) or proteins required for hematopoietic stem cell renewal and differentiation (PRDM16) (Fig. 3C) providing further evidence of the epigenetic control of angiogenesis in diabetic retinopathy progression.