Overview
Curis is a publicly-traded biotechnology company (NASDAQ: CRIS) focused on the development and commercialization of innovative drug candidates for the treatment of human cancers. Our aim is to develop our drug candidates for selected populations of patients with cancer, and endeavor to seek approval for our drugs as a sustainable business strategy. Our current pipeline includes one approved drug, Erivedge, for the treatment of advance basal cell carcinoma, three drug candidates in different stages of clinical development, as well as multiple candidates in the preclinical stage.
Our development efforts are currently focused on targeted, oral small molecules for treatment of select populations of patients with hematologic malignancies, based on known genetic alterations in these diseases. Our most advanced clinical candidate, fimepinostat, is an orally available inhibitor of HDAC and PI3K enzymes and is in development for treatment of patients with diffuse large B cell lymphomas, and particularly those patients whose tumors harbor alterations of the MYC oncogene. Fimepinostat has shown significant durable responses predominately in patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL with MYC alterations. We are currently in preparation for the start of a pivotal clinical study, based on the results of which we would expect to seek registration of fimepinostat for this population of patients.
A second drug candidate, CA-4948, currently in Phase 1 dose escalation stage, is the first oral small molecule inhibitor of the IRAK4 kinase in development for patients with cancer. As a potent IRAK4 inhibitor, CA-4948 is intended for the treatment of patients with non-Hodgkin lymphomas that harbor mutations in the MYD88 gene or other alterations in the Toll-like receptor signaling pathway. The ongoing Phase 1 trial of CA-4948 is focused on the enrollment of patients with ABC subtype of DLBCL, Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia, or mantle cell lymphomas, diseases with a prevalence of MYD88 or TLR pathway alterations.
In addition to our efforts in targeted drugs for hematologic malignancies, we are currently conducting Phase 1 clinical studies with CA-170, the first and only orally available small molecule drug candidate to target the inhibitory immune checkpoints. This drug candidate is rationally designed to bind the extracellular domain of PDL1 and VISTA inhibitory immune checkpoints and interfere with their function. Non-clinical and the current clinical studies have demonstrated CA-170 to be a potent immune modulator in vivo, and has resulted in tumor shrinkages in multiple patients during the dose escalation stage. In addition to CA-170, a second candidate, CA-327, which targets the PDL1 and TIM3 inhibitory immune checkpoints is currently completing non-clinical IND-enabling studies.
Our corporate culture is focused on learning and growing in a motivating environment with a committed group of peers working together as a team. For more information, visit Curis' website at www.curis.com.