Looking at various proteins in urine may help doctors predict the development of diabetic nephropathy in type 2 diabetes patients well before they develop the condition,according to a report in the March Diabetes Care."We have identified a set of urine proteins almost 10 years before the onset of diabetic nephropathy that identify those who will go on to get diabetic nephropathy, the most common cause of renal failure in the US and the world," Ravi Thadani,from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, said.Diabetic nephropathy is a serious complication of diabetes in which the kidneys lose their ability to function over time.