CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 15, 2005--Curis, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRIS), a therapeutic drug development company, today announced that Centocor has expanded its relationship with Curis. Under the revised agreement, Curis will screen for small molecule agonists that mimic the bioactivity of BMP-7 and activate the bone morphogenetic ("BMP") pathway. At Centocor's request, Curis will also use its proprietary screening assays to further test and validate any newly discovered Centocor BMP-7 protein and peptide variants in support of Centocor's effort to find next generation protein therapeutics. Both efforts represent an expansion of Curis' current relationship with Centocor. Currently, Centocor has licensed the BMP-7 protein and related patent portfolio from Curis and is developing this protein as a therapeutic agent.

Under terms of the agreement, Centocor will fund two FTE's and Curis will fund two FTE's for the screening effort. The screening effort is expected to last fifteen months. Curis will own any small molecule BMP agonist compounds that are discovered as part of this screening; however, Centocor will have an exclusive option to enter into a new collaboration and exclusive license agreement for the development of the small molecules.

"Curis has a significant track record of expanding and extending its relationships with its collaborators. The type of partnerships that we put in place with major pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies allow Curis to gain significant, useful knowledge about clinical trials and to be less reliant on the capital markets," said Daniel R. Passeri, President and Chief Executive Officer of Curis, Inc. "We are pleased by Centocor's continued commitment to this program and we are hopeful that this screening effort could produce a viable lead candidate for use in an eventual clinical trial."

About the Centocor Research and Development Inc., Agreement

Centocor has 45 days after completion of the screening program to notify Curis that it intends to exercise its option to license. If Centocor exercises the option and elects to continue the collaboration with Curis, the Parties will, in good faith, negotiate a collaboration and exclusive license agreement for subsequent development and commercialization of the Curis small molecule agonists on commercially reasonable terms. If the Parties fail to sign an agreement within three months of Centocor's exercise of the Option, then Curis has the right to negotiate a development and commercialization agreement with third parties.

In November 2002, Curis licensed its broad BMP technology portfolio to Ortho Biotech Products on an exclusive, worldwide royalty-bearing basis, for all non-orthopedic and non-dental therapeutic indications.

About Curis, Inc.

Curis, Inc. is a therapeutic drug development company. The Company's technology focus is on regulatory pathways that control repair and regeneration. Curis' product development involves the use of proteins or small molecules to modulate these pathways. Curis has successfully used this technology and product development approach to produce several promising drug product candidates in the fields of cancer (under two collaborations with Genentech, one of which includes a co-development arrangement for a basal cell carcinoma product candidate that is currently in Phase I clinical trials), neurological disorders (under collaboration with Wyeth), hair growth (under collaboration with Procter & Gamble), kidney and other diseases (licensed to Ortho Biotech Products and under development at Centocor, both subsidiaries of Johnson & Johnson), and cardiovascular disease. Curis also possesses robust small molecule drug screening technologies and preclinical scientific expertise that Curis believes it can use to create a sustainable drug candidate pipeline including, for example, its efforts in Spinal Muscular Atrophy (under sponsored research agreement with the Spinal Muscular Atrophy Foundation). For more information, please visit the Curis web site at www.curis.com.

Cautionary Statement: This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements concerning the expectation that the BMP screening efforts could produce a viable lead candidate for use in an eventual clinical trial. . Forward-looking statements used in this press release may contain the words "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "plans", "seeks", "estimates" or similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause Curis' actual results to be materially different from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. Actual results can be affected by a number of important factors including, among other things: adverse results in Curis' and its strategic collaborators' and licensees' product development programs; delays in enrolling patients for its basal cell carcinoma clinical trial, difficulties or delays in obtaining or maintaining required regulatory approvals for products being developed by Curis and its collaborators and licensees; Curis' ability to obtain or maintain the patent and other proprietary intellectual property protection necessary for the development and commercialization of products based on its technologies; changes in or Curis' inability to execute its business plan; the risk that Curis does not obtain the additional funding required to conduct research and development of its product candidates, fund its co-development obligations under its collaboration with Genentech and execute its business plan; unplanned cash requirements and expenditures; risks relating to Curis' ability to enter into and maintain important strategic collaborations, including its ability to maintain its current collaboration agreements with Genentech, Wyeth and Ortho Biotech Products; the risk that competitors will discover and develop signaling pathway-based or other competing therapeutics faster and more successfully than Curis and its collaborators are able to; and other risk factors identified in Curis' most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and subsequent reports periodically filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, any forward-looking statements represent the Company's views only as of today and should not be relied upon as representing its views as of any subsequent date. Curis disclaims any intention or obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

    CONTACT: For Curis, Inc.
             Michael P. Gray, 617-503-6632
             Chief Financial Officer
             or
             Megan E. Burling, 617-503-6658
             Director, Corporate Communications

    SOURCE: Curis, Inc.