The CF Foundation announced today that EPIX Pharmaceuticals, Inc. achieved another milestone in its collaborative effort to develop drugs for CF. EPIX will receive a milestone payment of $500,000 for its breakthrough in identifying two classes of compounds that are “dual-acting.”

The dual-acting compounds aim to move CFTR (the faulty protein associated with CF) to the correct place in the cell. Once there, the compounds should allow CFTR to function properly. The potential therapy will target the most common mutation associated with CF.

“This is an exciting development in the field of cystic fibrosis and underscores the scientific advances we have made over the past two years during our collaboration with EPIX,” said Robert J. Beall, Ph.D., president and CEO of the Foundation.

In April of this year, the Foundation expanded the potential value of the collaboration with EPIX to more than $50 million.