This invention relates to a composition for stimulating de novo bone induction in a mammal, to the use of this composition in stimulating de novo bone induction in a mammal and to a method of treating a mammal to stimulate de novo bone induction. The use and method involve introducing the composition, preferably by local injection, into the mammal at a site where de novo bone induction is desired. The composition consists of a combination of a bone morphogenetic protein and a reconstituted basement membrane which, in a preferred embodiment of the invention is Matrigel.RTM.. The Matrigel.RTM. serves, at least partly, to retain the bone morphogenetic protein at the site of introduction for a period sufficient to trigger a bone differentiation cascade.