Topical Drug Against Hair Loss

Filed in archive Corporate and Industrial News , Drugs, Vaccines and Therapeutics on September 2, 2005

A paper that will appear in the October issue of The Journal of Investigational Dermatology reports the therapeutic efficacy of Hedgehog pathway activators (developed byCuris, Inc.)in an adult animal model of hair growth.

"The results of the study show that a topically applied small molecule Agonist of the Hedgehog signaling pathway can stimulate the transition of hair follicles from the resting to the growth stage of the hair cycle. The Hedgehog agonist induces hair growth and causes no other detectable short or long-term changes in the skin of the animals.

An agonist is a drug that binds to a receptor of a cell and triggers a response by the cell. An agonist often mimics the action of a naturally occurring substance.

The start-up venture that Business Week described as "bristling with promise", is looking for possible partners. President and CEO Daniel Passeri says:

"We are encouraged by these preclinical results showing the utility of Hedgehog agonists to stimulate hair growth in an adult animal model. It is our goal to partner this program with another biotechnology company or a larger pharmaceutical company with expertise and skills in dermatological hair growth that complement our own in-house capabilities. Our collaboration strategy allows for the development of a broad portfolio of promising assets providing risk diversification with significant value potential."

Read the full report from Business Wire.