<；P>；PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for searching a substance which can be an active ingredient for preventing or treating the onset or progress of diabetic nephropathy, to provide a method for selecting a patient having high latent risk of developing the diabetic nephropathy, and to provide a reagent kit effectively utilizable for the method. <；P>；SOLUTION: The following steps are carries out in the screening of the active ingredient for the new diabetic nephropathy: (1) a step of bringing a test substance and an EHF gene into contact with an expressible cell, (2) a step of measuring the expression level of the EHF gene of the cell brought into contact with the test substance, and (3) a step of selecting a test substance of which the measured value is smaller than the expression level of the EHF gene of a control cell not contacted with the test substance. <；P>；COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT
