Hedgehog-Curis News

[Guest guest]

(Note: for those new members, we have been following the the

biotech/neurological developments at Curis for a few years now. And

here's this week's news! ~ Gretchen)

Compound Discovered by Curis Promotes Development of Motoneurons

This compound and other related compounds licensed to Wyeth for

development as therapies to treat neurological disorders

CAMBRIDGE, MA, June 16, 2004 – Curis, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRIS), a therapeutic

drug development company, today announced that the recent issue of the

Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA contains an article

that describes the use of a small molecule Hedgehog signaling pathway

agonist to promote the generation of new motoneurons. Motoneurons are

nerve cells that are most typically found in the spinal cord, and their

purpose is to establish functional connections with other tissues,

usually muscles, to control movement and other functions. Damage to

motoneurons can occur as result of injury, such as spinal cord injury,

or as a result of disease, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also

known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease.

The scientific publication is entitled “Axonal Growth of Embryonic Stem

Cell-derived Motoneurons in vitro and in Motoneuron-injured Adult Rats.”

The report states that isolated stem cells can be converted into

motoneurons when these cells are exposed to a Hedgehog agonist and

another compound called retinoic acid. Because these new motoneurons are

very similar to true motoneurons, they are believed to have potential

therapeutic utility as replacement cells to reconstitute damaged neural

systems.

Dr. Lee Rubin, Curis’ Chief Scientific Officer, said, “The Hedgehog

signaling pathway regulates the normal development and growth of several

tissues and organs, including tissues of the nervous system. This study

confirms that activation of the Hedgehog pathway can have a significant

positive impact on the production of new motoneurons. We believe that

Hedgehog pathway agonists may have real therapeutic potential when used

directly to promote the development of new neurons in the body. Many of

the small molecule Hedgehog agonists that we have developed are orally

available and in principle could be administered in a pill formulation.”

In January 2004, Curis entered into an agreement to license Hedgehog

pathway agonist technologies to Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a division of

Wyeth (NYSE: WYE) on an exclusive worldwide, royalty-bearing basis. The

agreement provides for the development and commercialization of

pharmaceutical products based on these technologies for therapeutic

applications in treatment of neurological disorders, such as spinal cord

injury, Parkinson’s disease, ALS, and other disorders/

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, alopecia, and cardiovascular disease.