The present invention provides the use of cells from a vasculotrophic lineage negative hematopoietic stem cell population for the preparation of a pharmaceutical composition for treating a mammal suffering from or at risk of developing retinopathy of prematurity or a related retinopathic disease wherein the cells are transfected with a therapeutically useful gene encoding for an angiostatic fragment of Trp-RS and wherein the pharmaceutical composition is for administering to the retina of the mammal an amount of cells from a vasculotrophic lineage negative hematopoietic stem cell population effective to promote beneficial physiological revascularization of damaged areas of the retina and to ameliorate damage to the retina caused by the disease.
