Interestingly, previous studies have reported that elevated levels of KIM-1/Cr correlate with the progression from normoalbuminuria to microalbuminuria (14) and that urinary KIM-1/Cr is associated with insulin resistance even prior to the development of diabetes (26), indicating that urinary KIM-1/Cr could be an early marker for diabetic nephropathy. The gene discussed is HAVCR1; the disease is diabetic kidney disease.