Over the past decade, several longitudinal epidemiological studies have brought attention to the haptoglobin genotype and its importance in determining diabetic vascular disease risk.
We recently demonstrated that a functional allelic polymorphism in the haptoglobin gene is correlated with a number of diabetic vascular complications.
Identification of the biochemical basis for differences among haptoglobin types may lead to the rational development of new pharmacologic agents, such as the mini-haptoglobin described here, to avert the development of diabetic vascular complications.