Curis, Inc. and Aurigene Extend Exclusivity Period of Immuno-Oncology and Precision Oncology Collaboration
January 09, 2017 at 12:00 pm
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Curis, Inc. announced that it has exercised its option to extend the exclusivity period with Aurigene under the collaboration, license and option agreement established in January, 2015. As previously reported, the extension of exclusivity is associated with a payment of $7.5 million to Aurigene, payable in two equal installments in the first and third quarters of 2017. The collaboration between Curis and Aurigene is focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of small molecule drug candidates in the fields of immuno-oncology and selected precision oncology targets. Licensed programs within the collaboration include CA-170, a first-in-class oral, small molecule antagonist targeting programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) and V-domain Ig suppressor of T cell activation (VISTA) immune checkpoints that is currently being studied in a Phase 1 trial in patients with solid tumors and lymphomas; and CA-327, an oral, small molecule immune checkpoint antagonist targeting PD-L1 and T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain containing protein-3 (TIM-3) and CA-4948, an oral small molecule inhibitor of Interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 4 (IRAK4), both of which are currently completing IND-enabling studies. The exclusivity extension comes two months after initial data from the CA-170 Ph. 1 Clinical Trial were presented at a scientific meeting – and four months after the companies closed a $24.5 million investment in Curis by Aurigene.
Curis, Inc. is a biotechnology company. The Company is focused on the development of emavusertib (CA-4948), an orally available, small molecule inhibitor of Interleukin-1 receptor associated kinase (IRAK4). Emavusertib is undergoing testing in the Phase I/II TakeAim Lymphoma study in patients with relapsed/refractory primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) in combination with the BTK inhibitor ibrutinib, as a monotherapy in the Phase I/II TakeAim Leukemia study in patients with relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and relapsed/refractory high risk myelodysplastic syndrome (hrMDS). Its other clinical programs include Fimepinostat and CA-170. Fimepinostat is an oral, dual inhibitor of histone deacetylase (HDAC), and phosphotidyl-inositol 3 kinase (PI3K) enzymes. CA-170 is an oral small molecule drug candidate that is designed to selectively target V-domain Ig Suppressor of T-cell Activation (VISTA) and PDL1 immune checkpoint proteins.