Stimulation of angiogenesis by the Hedgehog pathway as a therapeutic development opportunity for Curis

Study demonstrates crucial role of Hedgehog signaling pathway in development of the vascular network

24-Aug-2004

Curis, Inc. , a therapeutic drug development company, announced that the current issue of the scientific journal Development contains a report demonstrating that the Hedgehog signaling pathway plays an essential role in the Formation of the blood vessels that form the vascular network throughout the body. Curis is utilizing this biological property of the Hedgehog pathway to develop locally administered drug candidates to treat cardiovascular disorders such as heart attacks and peripheral vascular disease.

The report entitled "Hedgehog Signaling is Essential for Endothelial Tube Formation During Vasculogenesis" is authored by researchers from the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center and Harvard University. In the study, the authors demonstrate that the Hedgehog pathway is required for formation of the tubular structure of blood vessels in a process called angiogenesis. Other published reports have suggested that the Hedgehog pathway orchestrates this process by inducing several angiogenesis factors to coordinate cell division, differentiation, and migration. These reports also indicate that the lack of an adequate blood supply reactivates the Hedgehog pathway in order to stimulate the formation of new blood vessels. These findings reinforce the view that Hedgehog is a key pathway overseeing vascular regeneration and therefore is a potentially attractive drug target for certain cardiovascular disorders.

In November 2003, at the annual Scientific Sessions Conference of the American Heart Association, researchers from St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in Boston reported that injection of a gene encoding a Hedgehog protein in preclinical models of heart disease resulted in improved cardiac function and increased blood flow to the heart in both acute and chronic models of myocardial ischemia. Myocardial ischemia, the interruption of blood flow and oxygen to heart muscle, is the leading cause of heart attacks with more than one million cases reported every year in the United States.

Dr. Lee Rubin, Curis' Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, said, "We believe that stimulation of angiogenesis by the Hedgehog pathway shows great promise as a therapeutic approach to promoting recovery of tissues that lack sufficient blood supply, such as occurs following heart attack or stroke. In particular, we find it very encouraging that the Hedgehog pathway appears to act by inducing multiple regeneration factors which both direct the formation of new blood vessels as well as prevent additional tissue damage."

Daniel Passeri, Curis' President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "Cardiovascular disease represents another significant therapeutic development opportunity for Curis. Curis has retained the rights to local delivery of Hedgehog pathway activators for the treatment of cardiovascular disease, such as acute and chronic myocardial ischemia."

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