Business Wire
06/16/04, 8:54a
(Copyright © 2004, Business Wire)

This Compound and Other Related Compounds Licensed to Wyeth for Development as Therapies to Treat Neurological Disorders

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jun 16, 2004 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- 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.SOURCE: Curis, Inc.

Curis, Inc.
Michael Gray, 617-503-6632
or
Marc Charette, Ph.D., 617-503-6629