Hedgehog Signaling Pathway is New Therapeutic Target for Breast Cancer.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Study reports abnormal pathway expression in human breast cancers and that a pathway inhibitor blocks breast cancer cell growth

Curis, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRIS), a therapeutic drug development company, today announced that the current issue of the medical journal Cancer Research contains a report demonstrating that the Hedgehog signaling pathway is abnormally elevated in a series of human breast carcinoma tissue samples. The report states that administration of a Hedgehog pathway inhibitor, cyclopamine, blocks the growth of the breast cancer cells that were isolated from those tumor tissues.

The report, entitled "Hedgehog Signaling Pathway is a New Therapeutic Target for Patients with Breast Cancer," is authored by researchers from the Graduate School of Medical Sciences at Kyushu University in Japan. Based on their results, the authors to conclude that "the Hedgehog signaling pathway is constitutively activated in most breast carcinomas, and that the Hedgehog pathway is a potential therapeutic target for patients with breast cancer."

Breast cancer affects women primarily, but not exclusively. It is the most frequently diagnosed non-skin cancer in women. The National Cancer Institute estimates that there will be more than 212,000 new cases of breast cancer in the United States this year, and more than 40,000 will die of the disease.

Daniel Passeri, Curis' President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "Several years ago, scientists at Curis developed the hypothesis that certain cancers may be using the Hedgehog pathway as a means of providing tumors with growth factor support and that inhibitors of the Hedgehog pathway may constitute a novel and selective approach for the treatment of these cancers. With each new cancer type that is linked to the Hedgehog pathway, we come closer to the validation of that hypothesis."

Curis has developed several cancer drug candidates, including small molecules, designed to block or antagonize abnormal activation of the Hedgehog pathway. Previous scientific publications have linked abnormal Hedgehog pathway activation to the progression of several cancers, including basal cell carcinoma, small cell lung cancer, medulloblastoma, pancreatic cancer, colorectal cancer, prostate cancer and others.

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 (partnered with Ortho Biotech, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson), cancer (partnered with Genentech), neurological disorders (partnered with Wyeth Pharmaceuticals), alopecia, and cardiovascular disease. 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, including statements about Curis' drug discovery and development programs. Such statements may contain the words "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "plans", "seeks", "estimates" or similar expressions. These forward looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause Curis' actual results to be materially different from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. Actual results can be affected by a number of important factors including, among other things: adverse results in Curis' and its strategic partners' product development programs; difficulties or delays in obtaining or maintaining required regulatory approvals; Curis' ability to obtain or maintain the patent and other proprietary intellectual property protection necessary for the development and commercialization of products based on its technologies; changes in or Curis' inability to execute its realigned business strategy; the risk that Curis does not obtain the additional funding required to conduct research and development of its product candidates and execute on its business plan; unplanned cash requirements and expenditures; risks relating to Curis' ability to enter into and maintain important strategic partnerships, including its ability to maintain its current collaboration agreements with Genentech, Ortho and Wyeth; the risk that competitors will discover and develop signaling pathway-based therapeutics faster and more successfully that Curis and its collaborators are able to; and other risk factors identified in Curis' most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Report on 10-Q and any subsequent reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, any forward-looking statements represent the Company's views only as of today and should not be relied upon as representing its views as of any subsequent date. Curis disclaims any intention or obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.