Patent ID: 7524817

Claim:
A method of treating a mammal afflicted with a renal condition selected from the group consisting of chronic diabetic nephropathy, diabetic glomerulopathy, diabetic renal hypertrophy, hypertensive nephrosclerosis, hypertensive glomerulosclerosis, renal dysplasia, glomerular hypertrophy, tubular hypertrophy, glomerulosclerosis and tubulointerstitial sclerosis, the method comprising administering to said mammal a therapeutically effective amount of a morphogen, said morphogen comprising an amino acid sequence having (a) at least 70% amino acid sequence homology with the C-terminal seven-cysteine skeleton of human OP-1, or (b) the sequence of the C-terminal seven-cysteine skeleton of human OP-1 being set forth at amino acids 330-431 of SEQ ID NO: 1, or (c) at least 60% amino acid identity with the C-terminal seven-cysteine skeleton of human OP-1; wherein said morphogen induces chondrogenesis in an in vivo ectopic bone assay, and wherein said therapeutically effective amount causes a clinically significant improvement in a standard marker of renal function in said mammal, thereby treating the renal condition in the mammal.