Curis Issued U.S. Patent on Antibodies to Hedgehog Signaling Proteins
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 10, 2003--The United States Patent and Trademark Office today issued a patent to Curis, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRIS - News) covering antibodies that bind to and block the function of Hedgehog signaling proteins.
Hedgehog proteins control a signaling pathway that is a critical component of normal healthy development in humans. Recent data has demonstrated that this pathway is highly reactivated during the formation and progression of various types of cancer, including small cell lung cancer. Activated Hedgehog signaling then acts to accelerate tumor growth. Curis is developing Hedgehog antibodies as drug candidates to block the Hedgehog pathway under those circumstances when the pathway is abnormally activated.
Dr. Lee Rubin, Curis' Chief Scientific Officer, commented, "Anti-Hedgehog antibodies offer the unique potential of both blocking the signaling initiated by the Hedgehog proteins present on tumor cells and killing the tumor cells themselves. These antibodies have shown very exciting results in preclinical models of cancer."
U.S. Patent 6,576,237, entitled "Vertebrate Pattern Inducing Proteins, and Uses Related Thereto," contains claims encompassing one of several classes of Hedgehog pathway antagonists that are being developed by Curis as cancer treatments. The Company is also evaluating small molecule antagonists as another means of blocking the Hedgehog signaling pathway. The current patent provides broad coverage for different types of antibodies, antibody variants, and antibody fragments that bind to Hedgehog proteins.
Daniel Passeri, Curis' President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "This patent is another in a series of composition and method patents that further provide broad intellectual property coverage to Curis' Hedgehog pathway inhibition technologies. We believe that methods of inhibiting the Hedgehog signaling pathway will constitute a significant new therapeutic approach for the treatment of cancer." ... |
