Curis' Hedgehog Improves Heart Function and Blood Flow in a Model of Heart Attack.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 10, 2003

Preclinical Study Nominated as Finalist for Young Investigator

Award at Annual Meeting of the American Heart Association 

Curis, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRIS) today announced that a paper will be presented on Tuesday, November 11, 2003, demonstrating that injection of a gene encoding the Hedgehog protein results in improved cardiac function and increased blood flow to the heart in a model of myocardial ischemia. Myocardial ischemia, the interruption of blood flow and oxygen to heart muscle, is the leading cause of heart attacks. The presentation will occur at the annual Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association being held in Orlando, Florida from November 9-12, 2003.

Dr. Kengo Kusano, the first author of the paper entitled "Sonic Hedgehog Gene Therapy in Myocardial Ischemia: Transient Reconstitution of Embryonic Signaling Preserves Cardiac Function," will compete as a finalist for the Melvin L. Marcus Young Investigator Award in Cardiovascular Science that is awarded annually at the conference. The research for the study was performed in the laboratory of Dr. Douglas Losordo in the Division of Cardiovascular Research at the St. Elizabeth's Medical Center of Boston, Massachusetts. The authors conclude that administration of Hedgehog after a heart attack may have a significant advantage in promoting recovery in patients with acute myocardial ischemia by stimulating new blood vessel growth and reducing fibrosis.

Curis is developing drug candidates that activate the Hedgehog signaling pathway for the treatment of cardiovascular disease and other disorders. The National Institutes of Health estimates that approximately one million patients visit the hospital each year with some type of mycardial ischemia as their principal diagnosis.

Dr. Lee Rubin, Curis' Chief Scientific Officer, said, "Previous studies have demonstrated that Hedgehog protein can stimulate formation of new blood vessels and promote the recovery of skeletal muscle that has an insufficient blood supply. This new report now extends those observations to heart muscle and expands our understanding of the ways in which Hedgehog can be administered in order to promote the development of new blood vessels and thus increase muscle recovery."

Daniel Passeri, Curis' President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "We believe that cardiovascular disease represents a significant new therapeutic direction for Curis. We are grateful for the opportunity to interact with Dr. Losordo and his colleagues as we begin to investigate this potential indication for Curis' drug development technologies."

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, and alopecia (hair loss). For more information, please visit the Curis web site at www.curis.com.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements concerning Curis or management's intentions, plans, expectations or predictions of future events are forward-looking statements. Such statements may contain the words "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "plans", "estimates" or similar expressions. Forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to be materially different from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. Actual results can be affected by, among other things, uncertainties relating to product development, clinical trials, regulatory actions or delays, the ability to obtain or maintain patent or other proprietary intellectual property protection, changes in or an inability to execute Curis' realigned business strategy and other risk factors identified in Curis' most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Curis disclaims any intention or obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release.