Jan. 5, 2001--Curis, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRIS - news) and Aegera Therapeutics Inc. today announced that Curis has entered into a licensing and research agreement with Aegera granting Curis an exclusive worldwide license of Aegera's skin-derived, adult stem cell technologies. The agreement is valued in excess of US$25 million in licensing fees, research support and milestone payments, in addition to royalties on potential product sales.
The agreement establishes a broad collaboration to investigate the therapeutic potential of these technologies in neurological, pancreatic and cardiovascular disorders. Research will be conducted at Curis, Aegera and McGill University, Aegera's academic collaborator.
``Stem cells are a critical component of the future of regenerative medicine,'' said Doros Platika, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Curis. ``One of the challenges of stem cell-based therapeutics is finding an easily accessible source of pluripotent stem cells. Aegera's work in stem cell biology suggests that stem cells present in adult skin may be able to give rise to a variety of cell types that go beyond their tissue of origin.
``Curis' expertise with stem cells, growth factors and small molecules, combined with Aegera's technology, represents a dynamic development paradigm for innovative regenerative therapeutics,'' said Dr. Platika. ``We also look forward to the opportunity provided under this collaboration to work with Professor Freda Miller, who originated Aegera's technology at McGill University's Montreal Neurological Institute. This alliance further consolidates Curis' leadership position in all aspects of regenerative medicine.''
``The past year has seen dramatic developments in reducing to practice the significant promise of stem cells as human therapeutics,'' said Michael Atkin, president and chief executive officer of Aegera. ``We are confident that in partnership with Curis we will demonstrate the wide-spread utility of human adult skin-derived stem cells, in addition to their safety and societal advantages.'' .... |
