Moreover, treatment with CTLA4-Ig (abatacept), a molecule that binds B7-1 (and, with lower avidity, B7.2), blocks B7-1 on podocytes and is licensed for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, reduces urinary albumin excretion and improves kidney pathology in two animal models of DN [4]. This evidence concerns the gene CD80 and rheumatoid arthritis.