Curis Lands $5.4M Spinal Muscular Atrophy Grant

Curis Inc., a Cambridge-based drug developer, received a $5.4 million three-year grant to help treat spinal muscular atrophy, the company announced Tuesday.

The Spinal Muscular Atrophy Foundation awarded the grant to Curis to identify therapeutic compounds that could be used to treat the neuromuscular disease, which is the leading genetic cause of infant and toddler death.

The study will use proprietary Curis technologies to screen for potential drug candidates.

The SMA Foundation estimates that between 25,000 and 55,000 people suffer from SMA in the United States, Europe and Japan. The market potential for an SMA drug could exceed $500 million, Curis said.

Curis uses proteins or small molecules in regulatory pathways that control repair and regeneration. It is currently developing drugs in partnership with Bridgewater, N.J.-based Ortho Biotech Products LP (kidney disease), San Francisco-based Genentech Inc. (cancer) and Collegeville, Pa.-based Wyeth Pharmaceuticals (neurological disorders).