Insmed Incorporated has entered into an exclusive option agreement with University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine for the patented use of IGF-1 receptor antagonists to treat prostate cancer. This application of IGF-1 receptor antagonists complements Insmed and UCSF's ongoing clinical studies with INSM-18, a small molecule IGF-1 tyrosine kinase inhibitor in a Phase I clinical study in patients with relapsed prostate cancer.

Ira D. Goldfine, Professor of Medicine at UCSF, who will lead the investigative efforts with IGF-1 receptor antagonists to identify the compound with an ideal risk/benefit ratio to enter clinical trials, commented, "This series of IGF-1 receptor antagonists are very interesting molecules that inhibit IGF-1 receptor activation, which can trigger tumorigenesis. These planned studies should allow us to identify another drug candidate to compliment our efforts with INSM-18 in the search for a treatment of prostate cancer."

Insmed's CEO Geoffrey Allan, commented, "We are very excited to expand the Company pipeline with this patented methodology. This agreement with UCSF further broadens our pipeline of promising drug candidates in the prostate cancer filed, and reinforces Insmed as a leader in IGF biology and growth factor signalling. We look forward to reporting our findings with a new series of compounds and the results of our Phase I trial in prostate cancer in the near future."

Insmed is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of drug candidates for the treatment of metabolic diseases and endocrine disorders with unmet medical needs.