Curis up +17.87% on new funding from a private nonprofit organization re Lou Gehrig's Disease...
Curis and Project A.L.S. Launch Collaboration to Evaluate New Therapeutic Approach for Lou Gehrig's Disease
Thursday June 5, 12:40 pm ET
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 5, 2003--Curis, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRIS - News) and Project A.L.S. have formed a collaboration to evaluate a new therapeutic approach for the treatment of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.
ALS is a fatal neuromuscular disease in which the motor nerve cells in the body progressively die. There is currently no cure or treatment. Project A.L.S. is a nonprofit organization that provides funds to prominent medical research laboratories to investigate possible treatments and cures for this always-fatal disease.
The focal point of the collaboration is a biological pathway controlled by a signaling protein known as Hedgehog. Hedgehog is a key regulator in the body that, among other properties, promotes the development of motor nerve cells from progenitor or stem cells. Many of the scientific studies funded by Project A.L.S. involve attempts to use progenitor or stem cells as a replenishment source for new motor nerve cells. It is hoped that Curis' Hedgehog compounds or the combination of Curis' Hedgehog compounds with progenitor or stem cells will prove efficacious as a potential treatment for ALS.
"True collaboration is necessary to achieve an eventual understanding of ALS," said Jenifer Estess, Chief Executive Officer of Project A.L.S., who also has the disease. "We are thrilled to begin a collaboration with Curis and our research investigators. Anytime we can test the potential of promising new drug candidates, we increase the likelihood of finding an effective treatment."
"The recent study (funded by Project A.L.S. and published by Dr. Thomas Jessell and his associates of Columbia University in collaboration with Curis scientists) demonstrating that stem cells can be converted into motor nerve cells by the addition of Hedgehog, is very encouraging," said Dr. Lee Rubin, Curis' Chief Scientific Officer. "While a great deal more research needs to be done, the collaboration with Project A.L.S. and its investigators will provide significant insight into the therapeutic potential of the Hedgehog pathway as a treatment option for ALS."
"We are very pleased with the opportunity to collaborate with Project A.L.S.," said Daniel Passeri, Curis' President and Chief Executive Officer. "Collaborations such as these not only offer the prospect of finding potential treatments for this terrible disease, but they also increase the likelihood of a partnership with a large pharmaceutical company that could bring even more resources toward the goal of finding a cure for ALS."
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, neurological disorders, cancer, and alopecia (hair loss). 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. Statements concerning Curis' or management's intentions, plans, expectations or predictions of future events are forward-looking statements. Such statements may contain the words "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "plans", "estimates" or similar expressions. Forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to be materially different from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. Actual results can be affected by, among other things, uncertainties relating to product development, clinical trials, regulatory actions or delays, the ability to obtain or maintain patent or other proprietary intellectual property protection, changes in or an inability to execute Curis' realigned business strategy and other risk factors identified in Curis' most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Curis disclaims any intention or obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release.
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Contact:
Curis, Inc.
Christopher U. Missling, Ph.D., 617/503-6587
or Marc F. Charette, Ph.D., 617/503-6629
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Source: Curis |
