This drug candidate, an antagonist of the Hedgehog signaling pathway, is being developed to treat basal cell carcinoma, the most common form of all human cancers. It was discovered by Curis and is being co-developed through a collaboration between Genentech and Curis.
Numerous preclinical reports have linked abnormal activation of the Hedgehog pathway to the growth of several solid tumors, including basal cell carcinoma, pancreatic cancer, small cell lung cancer, prostate cancer, and others.
“The filing of this investigational new drug application (IND) is an important milestone for Curis,” said Daniel Passeri, president and CEO of Curis. “We believe that Genentech’s proven expertise in the development of specifically targeted cancer therapeutics will provide an effective path forward for the Hedgehog pathway antagonist drug candidates.”