BMP-7 Promotes Regeneration of Injured Kidneys in Preclinical Model of Renal Disease
Tuesday January 11, 8:30 am ET
BMP-7, discovered by Curis, demonstrates potential as therapeutic agent to treat kidney disease
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 11, 2005--Curis, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRIS - News), a therapeutic drug development company, today announced that a recent online issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry contains a report demonstrating that treatment with BMP-7, a signaling protein that was discovered by scientists from Curis, results in repair of kidney injury in a preclinical model of acute kidney disease. The U.S. Renal Data System estimates that approximately 360,000 people in the United States suffer from kidney disease. There are currently no adequate therapies to promote repair of injured or diseased kidneys.
BMP-7 is a regulatory compound that controls a signaling pathway used by the body to maintain the normal health of the kidney and other tissues. Previous BMP-7 studies have demonstrated its potential therapeutic utility in several different preclinical models of acute and chronic kidney disease, including a possible hormone replacement therapy to treat kidney-associated disorders such as metabolic bone disease and vascular calcification disease.
The current report, entitled "Bone Morphogenic Protein-7 Induces Mesenchymal-to-Epithelial Transition in Adult Renal Fibroblasts and Facilitates Regeneration of Injured Kidney," is authored by researchers from the Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Children's Hospital, all located in Boston, Massachusetts. The investigators demonstrate that treatment with BMP-7, even after kidney disease was well established, resulted in improved kidney function and a reversal in tissue damage and scarring. |
