Jose Halperin

Equity Interest - Non-publicly traded entity ( e.g., stock, stock option, or other ownership interest)

Human Studies on Blood Levels of Glycated CD59 as a Biomarker in Diabetes

This highly translational proposal (a) has as a main goal the validation of glycated CD59 (the glucose inactivated form of the key complement regulatory protein known as CD59) in human blood (GCD59), as 1) a screening tool for Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT); and 2) a biomarker and predictor of vascular diabetic complications, (b) addresses major Public Health priorities, and (c) is based on a robust hypothesis, extensive preliminary data and availability of all assays/reagents needed. The relevance of the proposed studies is highlighted by the following facts 1) diabetes mellitus affects H25 million Americans, and diabetic micro- and macro-vascular complications are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the U.S., 2) diabetic neuropathy, retinopathy, nephropathy and cardiovascular disease are respectively the leading cause of end-stage renal failure and renal transplants, blindness and nerve damage in adults, and of the much higher risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, and non-traumatic limb amputation in diabetics, 3) treatment of diabetic complications costs a staggering 245 billion dollars/year, and is expected to rise to >300 billion by 2034.