Curis, Inc. has achieved the first two development milestones under its agreement with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) for the development of CUDC-907, triggering a $750,000 milestone payment. CUDC-907 is an orally-administered small molecule drug candidate inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) and histone deacetylase (HDAC). The milestones include a preclinical development target, as well as Curis’ IND filing to begin Phase I testing of CUDC-907.

“The completion of CUDC-907’s preclinical testing and subsequent IND filing is a significant milestone in the development of this important molecule, and we look forward to initiating a Phase I clinical trial in patients with relapsed or refractory lymphomas or multiple myeloma in early 2013,” said Dan Passeri, Curis’ president and chief executive officer. “In preclinical studies, CUDC-907 has demonstrated very potent anti-proliferation activity, and we believe that this approach holds a great deal of promise for patients with advanced cancers. “

“We are pleased that Curis’ research and development team has successfully completed the preclinical work required to advance CUDC-907 towards clinical testing in patients with lymphomas and multiple myeloma, said Richard Winneker, LLS’s senior vice president of research. “These patients are often in critical need of new treatment options and LLS’s Therapy Acceleration Program (TAP) has provided important capital to companies like Curis to continue advancing novel drug candidates for the treatment of blood cancers.”