Gurung RL, Dorajoo R, Yiamunaa M, et al. - In the present study, the researchers sought to identify genetic variants associated with plasma Leucine Rich α-2-Glycoprotein 1 (LRG1), a component of TGF-ß signalling, levels and determine if genetically predicted plasma LRG1 contributes to a rapid decline in kidney function (RDKF) in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). They conducted a genome-wide association study of plasma LRG1 among 3,694 T2D patients [1,881(983 Chinese, 420 Malay and 478 Indian) discovery from SMART2D cohort and 1,813 (Chinese) validation from DN cohort]. The authors identified rs4806985 variant near LRG1 locus robustly linked to plasma LRG1 levels. They show that genetically influenced plasma LRG1 increases the risk of RDKF in T2D patients, implying that plasma LRG1 could be a treatment target. However, more research is needed to elucidate underlying pathways and gain insight into DKD prevention.