Hedgehog Pathway is Essential for Blood Vessel Development; Study Demonstrates Crucial Role of Hedgehog Signaling Pathway in Development of the Vascular Network
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Aug 23, 2004 (BUSINESS WIRE) --
Curis, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRIS), a therapeutic drug development company, today announced that the current issue of the scientific journal Development contains a report demonstrating that the Hedgehog signaling pathway plays an essential role in the formation of the blood vessels that form the vascular network throughout the body. Curis is utilizing this biological property of the Hedgehog pathway to develop locally administered drug candidates to treat cardiovascular disorders such as heart attacks and peripheral vascular disease.
The report entitled "Hedgehog Signaling is Essential for Endothelial Tube Formation During Vasculogenesis" is authored by researchers from the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center and Harvard University. In the study, the authors demonstrate that the Hedgehog pathway is required for formation of the tubular structure of blood vessels in a process called angiogenesis. Other published reports have suggested that the Hedgehog pathway orchestrates this process by inducing several angiogenesis factors to coordinate cell division, differentiation, and migration. These reports also indicate that the lack of an adequate blood supply reactivates the Hedgehog pathway in order to stimulate the formation of new blood vessels. These findings reinforce the view that Hedgehog is a key pathway overseeing vascular regeneration and therefore is a potentially attractive drug target for certain cardiovascular disorders.
In November 2003, at the annual Scientific Sessions Conference of the American Heart Association, researchers from St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in Boston reported that injection of a gene encoding a Hedgehog protein in preclinical models of heart disease resulted in improved cardiac function and increased blood flow to the heart in both acute and chronic models of myocardial ischemia. Myocardial ischemia, the interruption of blood flow and oxygen to heart muscle, is the leading cause of heart attacks with more than one million cases reported every year in the United States.
Dr. Lee Rubin, Curis' Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, said, "We believe that stimulation of angiogenesis by the Hedgehog pathway shows great promise as a therapeutic approach to promoting recovery of tissues that lack sufficient blood supply, such as occurs following heart attack or stroke. In particular, we find it very encouraging that the Hedgehog pathway appears to act by inducing multiple regeneration factors which both direct the formation of new blood vessels as well as prevent additional tissue damage."
Daniel Passeri, Curis' President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "Cardiovascular disease represents another significant therapeutic development opportunity for Curis. Curis has retained the rights to local delivery of Hedgehog pathway activators for the treatment of cardiovascular disease, such as acute and chronic myocardial ischemia."
About Curis, Inc.
Curis, Inc. is a therapeutic drug development company. The Company's technology focus is on regulatory pathways that control repair and regeneration. Curis' product development involves the use of proteins or small molecules to modulate these pathways. Curis has successfully used this technology and product development approach to produce several promising drug product candidates in the fields of kidney disease (partnered with Ortho Biotech, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson), cancer (partnered with Genentech), neurological disorders (partnered with Wyeth Pharmaceuticals), alopecia, and cardiovascular disease. For more information, please visit the Curis web site at www.curis.com .
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements about Curis' drug discovery and development programs. Such statements may contain the words "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "plans", "seeks", "estimates" or similar expressions. These forward looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause Curis' actual results to be materially different from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. Actual results can be affected by a number of important factors including, among other things: adverse results in Curis' and its strategic partners' product development programs; difficulties or delays in obtaining or maintaining required regulatory approvals; Curis' ability to obtain or maintain the patent and other proprietary intellectual property protection necessary for the development and commercialization of products based on its technologies; changes in or Curis' inability to execute its realigned business strategy; the risk that Curis does not obtain the additional funding required to conduct research and development of its product candidates and execute on its business plan; unplanned cash requirements and expenditures; risks relating to Curis' ability to enter into and maintain important strategic partnerships, including its ability to maintain its current collaboration agreements with Genentech, Ortho and Wyeth; the risk that competitors will discover and develop signaling pathway-based therapeutics faster and more successfully that Curis and its collaborators are able to; and other risk factors identified in Curis' most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Report on 10-Q and any subsequent reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, any forward-looking statements represent the Company's views only as of today and should not be relied upon as representing its views as of any subsequent date. Curis disclaims any intention or obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
SOURCE: Curis, Inc.
Curis, Inc.
Michael Gray, 617-503-6632
or
Marc Charette, 617-503-6629
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