Patent ID: 7908090

Claim:
A method for assessing relative physiological age of a kidney sample from a human subject, the method comprising: determining expression information of a set of at least ten extracellular matrix protein genes associated with kidney aging selected from the group consisting of: TIMP1, TFPI2, TNC, EFEMP1, SPP1, CSPG2, MMP7, MMP13, CTGF, VWF, CHI3L1, THBS2, TGFBI, ADAMTS1, POSTN, COMP, THBS4, ZP2, ECM2, LTBP1, LUM, MGP, BGN, LAMA2, TIMP2, SPARCL1, TIMP4, FBN1, GPC4, LAMA5, MATN3, FLRT3, COL9A3, FBLN1, COL17A1, COL6A3, MATN2, FMOD, THBS1, LTBP2, DGCR6, LAMC1, COL6A2, ADAMTS5, MMRN2, MMP17, KAL1, FLRT2, DAG1, LAMB2, MMP2, GPC6, SOD3, MMP3, DCN, MMP9, MMP20, TNA, DMP1, EMILIN1, COL9A2, MATN1, MMP23B, DPT, ADAMTS2, NTN2L, ADAMTS17, ADAMTS20, ADAMTS15, GPC5, FBLN2, EMILIN2, ADAMTS19, MFAP1, ADAMTS14, TNXB, ADAMTS6, MFAP3, TIMP3, NYX, ADAMTS10, OMD, WNT3, ADAMTS12, LTBP4, MMP15, LAMB3, AMBN, COL14A1, USH2A, ADAMTS7, ADAMTSI3, ADAMTS4, OPTC, RBP3, PRELP, MMPL1, GPC2, MMP27, EMID2, KERA, MEPE, DSPP, GPC3, LAMC3, EMID1, MMP16, AMELX, MMP28, ENAM, NTNG1, MMP24, CHAD, COL9A1, COL6A1, SPG7, HAS1, ASPN, TECTA, NTN1, PI3, MMP25, SPOCK, ECM1, DSPG3, MMP10, GPC1, MMP12, LAMA3, CLECSF1, MMP1, ADAMTS8, ADAMTS9, SPOCK2, ADAMTS3, MMP26, LAMB4, MMP19, HAPLN2, MMP11, FBN2, CD164L1, ELN, FLRT1, NTN4, LOX, ZP4, HAPLN1, MMP8, LAMB1, AGC1, MMP21 from a sample obtained from said subject, and using said expression information to generate an age signature for said sample; comparing said age signature with a control age signature comprising: expression information of said at least ten extracellular matrix protein genes, wherein a statistically significant match with a positive control or a statistically significant difference from a negative control is indicative of relative age in said sample.