>>CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 2, 2003--Curis, Inc. (Nasdaq: CRIS - News) today announced that the October online issue of The FASEB Journal contains a preclinical report demonstrating that Hedgehog signaling reduces the activity of nerve cells from the subthalamic nucleus, a region of the brain that is abnormally stimulated in Parkinson's disease. Increased levels of nerve activity in the subthalamic nucleus contributes to the movement disorders characteristic of Parkinson's disease, and surgical removal of this region of the brain is one current therapeutic approach to treating this disease. The authors of this study suggest that stimulation of the Hedgehog signaling pathway could have a therapeutic benefit in the treatment of Parkinson's disease, and that this approach may be an effective alternative to surgery.
The report, entitled "Sonic Hedgehog is a Neuromodulator in the Adult Subthalamic Nucleus," is based on preclinical research performed at several laboratories, including the Universite Victor Segalen in France, the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom, and the Toronto Western Research Institute in Canada. Consistent with the finding that Hedgehog signaling can modulate nerve cell activity, the authors also observed that Hedgehog signaling is abnormally reduced in a model of Parkinson's disease. This finding suggests that reduced levels of Hedgehog signaling may play a role in the pathology of Parkinson's disease, and that agents that restore Hedgehog signaling to normal levels in the brain may have a therapeutic benefit in patients with this disease.
Curis is developing drug candidates that activate the Hedgehog signaling pathway for the treatment of Parkinson's disease and other neurological disorders. These small-molecule drug candidates can be given orally and readily reach the brain to stimulate the Hedgehog signaling pathway in preclinical animal models.
Dr. Lee Rubin, Curis' Chief Scientific Officer, said, "We have already demonstrated that administration of Hedgehog protein or small molecule Hedgehog agonist drugs can promote recovery in animal models of Parkinson's disease. This report increases our understanding of the potential mechanisms of action by which our drug candidates exert these positive effects."
Daniel Passeri, Curis' President and Chief Executive Officer stated, "This publication further supports the hypothesis that enhancement of Hedgehog signaling may be therapeutically useful in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. As always, we are grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with academic researchers to increase our insight into the biology of the Hedgehog signaling pathway." <<
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Cheers, Tuck |
