Curis News Update

[Guest guest]

(For those of you new to , we have been following the developments

of Sonic Hedgehog Protein developed by Curis - human trials of diabetic

neuropathy showed good results in helping the nerve signaling pathway -

this would also help CMT.) OK, now for the NEWS - includes peripheral

neuropathies! ~ Gretchen

Curis Issued U.S. Patent Covering Methods of Treating Motor Neuron

Disorders such as Spinal Cord Injury and ALS

CAMBRIDGE, MA, April 20, 2004 – Curis, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRIS) today

announced that it was issued U.S. patent 6,723,698, entitled “Methods

and compositions for the treatment of motor neuron injury and

neuropathy.” The claims of this patent recite methods of treating motor

neuron disorders by activation of the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)

pathway through the administration of a BMP-7 related protein. Among the

nerve disorders claimed are spinal cord injury, amyotrophic lateral

sclerosis (also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease), and peripheral

neuropathies caused by injury or disease.

In November 2002, Curis exclusively licensed this patent and other

related patents and patent applications associated with the BMP pathway

to Ortho Biotech, a subsidiary of & . Ortho Biotech has

sole responsibility for the development of BMP product candidates for

the clinical indications mentioned above.

Regulatory signaling pathways, such as the BMP pathway, are one of the

major means by which tissues and organs exchange instructional messages

that regulate specific biological functions. The ability to activate

certain signaling pathways is of great interest to biotechnology and

pharmaceutical companies as studies in preclinical models of human

disease have indicated that these pathways have the potential to

stimulate the repair and regeneration of many tissues, including tissues

of the brain and peripheral nervous system.

Passeri, Curis’ President and Chief Executive Officer, said, “The

currently issued patent is part of a portfolio of BMP patents and patent

applications that was developed by Curis and licensed to Ortho Biotech

for applications in neurological disorders, kidney disease, and other

fields. We are very pleased that the future development of the

technologies associated with the BMP patent portfolio is under the

direction of Ortho Biotech. Ortho Biotech’s proven expertise in the

development of protein based therapeutics should provide the most

effective path forward for the BMP drug candidates.”

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.