Health and Healthcare
Why the FDA Is Pushing Curis Stock So Much Higher
Published:
Last Updated:
Curis Inc. (NASDAQ: CRIS) shares jumped on Wednesday after the company announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had cleared its Investigational New Drug (IND) application for CI-8993, the first-in-class monoclonal anti-VISTA antibody.
VISTA is a novel negative checkpoint ligand that is homologous to PD-1/PD-L1 and suppresses T cell activation. So anti-VISTA therapy helps to increase the count of T-cells, which in turn fight different cancers.
Certain cancers, such as mesothelioma, triple-negative breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer and gynecologic malignancies, are known to be highly driven by VISTA. These cancers may be amenable to monotherapy treatment with anti-VISTA therapy.
In other cancers, anti-VISTA therapy may be more effective as part of a combination approach.
Curis plans to initiate a Phase 1a/1b study of CI-8993 in the second half of 2020.
James Dentzer, president and CEO of Curis, commented:
The clearance of our IND is an important step for the advancement of VISTA therapies, as CI-8993 becomes the first anti-VISTA antibody in development to enter clinical testing. When activated, VISTA plays a critical role in suppressing T cell activity. Conversely, it has been shown in preclinical studies that blocking VISTA reduces the suppression of T cells and reactivates anti-tumor immune function. We are eager to leverage our extensive experience with VISTA and pioneer this first-in-class anti-VISTA antibody program.
Curis stock traded about 71% to $2.09 on Wednesday, in a 52-week range of $0.62 to $2.90.
Robinhood revolutionized commission free investing, and it continues to do so today. With a few simple taps you can trade stocks like Nvidia and Amazon, market beating mutual funds, and trade options with Robinhood Financial. FDIC insurance coverage is just another benefit.
And, you can buy and sell cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Dogecoin (DOGE) with Robinhood Crypto.
Sign up today — click here to start your journey.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.