Curis Issued U.S. Patent Covering Core Hedgehog Technologies
Wednesday August 20, 9:27 am ET
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 20, 2003--Curis, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRIS - News) today announced that it has been issued U.S. patent 6,607,913, entitled "Vertebrate Embryonic Pattern-inducing Proteins and Uses Related Thereto." The claims of this patent cover genes (nucleic acids) for members of the Hedgehog family of signaling proteins having certain biological activity, including materials and methods for the production of these proteins.
The Hedgehog family of signaling proteins controls one of the major regulatory pathways responsible for the development and maintenance of tissues of the body including the central and peripheral nerve system and has been shown to be involved in the repair of these tissues when damaged or traumatized. Curis is using the Hedgehog signaling pathway as a technology platform to develop drug candidates to treat neurological disorders, cancer, blood vessel growth (angiogenesis), and hair growth disorders (alopecia). Curis recently announced a partnership with Genentech to develop Hedgehog antagonists (blockers of the Hedgehog pathway) for applications in the treatment of certain cancers.
Dr. Lee Rubin, Curis' Chief Scientific Officer said, "Curis has made enormous progress in the last several years in expanding our understanding of the biology of the Hedgehog pathway and in using that information to develop novel drug candidates for a wide array of medical disorders. A good example of this is our recent success in developing small molecules (traditional drug-like substances) that can activate the Hedgehog pathway and promote recovery in models of nerve damage, as was reported at the annual meeting of the Peripheral Nerve Society in July."
Daniel Passeri, Curis' President and Chief Executive Officer stated, "The issuance of this patent further bolsters Curis' intellectual property portfolio covering the Hedgehog signaling pathway. We have already announced a significant Hedgehog pathway collaboration this year that also conferred a co-development option for one of the leading indications (basal cell carcinoma). Curis intends to leverage its expertise in developing Hedgehog-based drug candidates, and its related intellectual property portfolio, into additional attractive collaborations in the future."
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.
Contact:
Curis, Inc.
Christopher U. Missling, Ph.D., 617/503-6587
Marc F. Charette, Ph.D., 617/503-6629
Source: Curis, Inc. |
