CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 22, 2006--Curis, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRIS - News), a therapeutic drug development company, today announced the publication of data showing that stimulating the Hedgehog signaling pathway in an adult animal model rapidly increased the density of blood vessels in the heart. These findings provide further support for therapeutically targeting the Hedgehog pathway for both acute ischemic events (heart attacks) as well as for chronic 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. In particular, there remains a need for more effective treatments for so-called “no option” patients with chronic myocardial ischemia.
