8-K

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                                 --------------


                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT

                         Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)
                     of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

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         Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): May 21, 2002



                               CuraGen Corporation
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


      Delaware                     0-23223                     06-1331400
 ----------------------      -----------------------      --------------------
  (State or other                (Commission              (IRS Employer
   jurisdiction of                File Number)             Identification No.)
   incorporation)



                        555 Long Wharf Drive, 11th Floor
                          New Haven, Connecticut 06511
                        --------------------------------
               (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)


Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (203) 401-3330



Item 5.   Other Events and Regulation FD Disclosure.

On May 21, 2002, the Registrant issued a press release announcing that CG53135
(or FGF-20), a novel protein discovered by the Registrant's scientists,
significantly reduces the severity and extent of tissue damage associated with
inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in several disease models. In addition, the
Registrant's scientists will describe the role of CG53135 in disease models of
IBD at the Digestive Disease Week conference on Tuesday, May 21, 2002. A
complete abstract describing these results is available online at the following
address:

http://ddw02.agora.com/planner/displayabstract.asp?presentationid=3127.
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A copy of the press release is attached to this Current Report on Form 8-K as
Exhibit 99.1.

Item 7.   Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(c) The following exhibits are filed with this report:


Exhibit Number          Description
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      99.1              Press release of Registrant dated May 21, 2002.







                                   SIGNATURES

         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

                                          CURAGEN CORPORATION
                                          (Registrant)



Date: May 21, 2002                         By:   /s/ David M. Wurzer
                                              ----------------------------------
                                           Name:    David M. Wurzer
                                           Title:   Executive Vice President and
                                                    Chief Financial Officer

EX-99.1

[CURAGEN CORPORATION LOGO]

Contact:
Mark R. Vincent
Director of Corporate & Investor Relations
mvincent@curagen.com
1-888-GENOMICS
www.curagen.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CuraGen Announces CG53135 Protein Demonstrates Reproducible Efficacy in Multiple
                      Models of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

            -Results Described at Digestive Disease Week Conference-

New Haven, CT - May 21, 2002 - CuraGen Corporation (NASDAQ: CRGN), an
integrated, genomics-based pharmaceutical company, announced today that CG53135
(FGF-20), a novel protein discovered by CuraGen scientists, significantly
reduces the severity and extent of tissue damage associated with inflammatory
bowel disease in several disease models.

CuraGen's scientists will describe the role of CG53135 in disease models of IBD
at the Digestive Disease Week conference on Tuesday, May 21, 2002. A complete
abstract describing these results is available online at
http://ddw02.agora.com/planner/displayabstract.asp?presentationid=3127.

"CuraGen's CG53135 continues to show promise as a potential therapeutic for
treating IBD and new data demonstrate that CG53135 is active in models of
ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. In addition, CG53135 was active when
administered in a prophylactic or therapeutic dosing regimen. More specifically,
CG53135 reduced colon inflammation, bleeding, cell loss, and edema," stated
Henri Lichenstein, Ph.D., Director of Drug Development for CuraGen Corporation.
"We believe CG53135's unique mechanism of action is responsible for its activity
and may provide this preclinical candidate with a distinct competitive advantage
over products currently under development or presently being marketed. We are
actively pursuing formulations that will enable us to advance this potential
therapeutic into clinical trials for IBD and other immune mediated disorders,"
added Dr. Lichenstein.

Background on Inflammatory Bowel Disease

IBD comprises two distinct subsets: ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. In
1999, approximately 1.7 million people were diagnosed with this debilitating
disease. Satisfactory treatment of IBD is an unmet medical need, as existing
therapeutics have not been successful in curtailing the disease and preventing
surgeries. Up to 40% of all ulcerative colitis patients undergo surgery, which
typically includes the removal of part of the large intestine or a full
colostomy. While surgery is not curative for Crohn's disease, 75% of all
patients will undergo at least one surgery in their lifetime, and up to 90% of
these patients require additional surgeries. A therapeutic that can successfully
treat inflammatory bowel disease can improve a patient's quality of life, while
potentially saving the healthcare system millions of dollars in costs associated
with invasive surgical procedures.

                                    - MORE -



CuraGen's proteins, as well as antibody and small molecule drug targets are
derived from the Company's proprietary database of over 8200 pharmaceutically
tractable genes and proteins. The world's existing drugs were developed based
upon 350 gene-based targets. To date, CuraGen scientists have identified and are
evaluating new gene-based targets that include 131 proteins, 226 antibody
targets, and 261 small molecule targets. CuraGen scientists are developing a
pipeline of products across four disease areas including obesity and diabetes,
cancer, inflammatory diseases, and central nervous system (CNS) disorders. This
pipeline includes a portfolio of potential protein, antibody, and small molecule
therapeutics to treat previously unmet medical needs. By utilizing disease
models, human clinical specimens, drug response models, large-scale data mining
of proprietary sequence and pathway databases, and human genetics, CuraGen
scientists have initiated 193 drug development projects. Of these projects,
CuraGen scientists have identified 67 potential protein therapeutics and have
advanced four as validated candidates. In the area of antibody development,
CuraGen has elected 96 antibody targets with Abgenix, and is evaluating 17 fully
human monoclonal antibodies as potential therapeutics. Lastly, CuraGen's
understanding of the human genome and genetic basis of disease has enabled
CuraGen and Bayer scientists to initiate 30 small molecule target projects and
successfully complete screening against six of these targets in the areas of
obesity and diabetes.

 CuraGen Corporation (NASDAQ: CRGN) is a genomics-based pharmaceutical company.
 CuraGen's integrated, functional genomic technologies and Internet-based
 bioinformatic systems are designed to generate comprehensive information about
 genes, human genetic variations, gene expression, protein interactions, protein
 pathways, and potential drugs that affect these pathways. The Company is
 applying its industrialized genomic technologies, informatics, and validation
 technologies to develop protein, antibody, and small molecule therapeutics to
 treat obesity and diabetes, cancer, inflammatory diseases, and central nervous
 system (CNS) disorders. CuraGen is headquartered in New Haven, CT. Additional
 information is available at www.curagen.com.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements including statements
about CG53135 showing promise as a potential therapeutic for treating
inflammatory bowel disease; our belief that CG53135's unique mechanism of action
is responsible for its activity and may provide this preclinical candidate with
a distinct competitive advantage over products currently under development or
presently being marketed; and our active pursuit of formulations that will
enable us to advance this potential therapeutic into clinical trials for
inflammatory bowel disease and other immune mediated disorders. Such statements
are based on management's current expectations and are subject to a number of
factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially
from those described in the forward-looking statements. CuraGen cautions
investors that there can be no assurance that actual results or business
conditions will not differ materially from those projected or suggested in such
forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not
limited to, the following: CuraGen's expectation that it will incur operating
losses in the near future, the early stage of development of CuraGen's products
and technologies, uncertainties related to preclinical and clinical testing and
trials, uncertainties and adverse results relating to CuraGen's ability to
obtain regulatory approval for its products in development, uncertainties
surrounding the availability of additional funding, CuraGen's reliance on
research collaborations and strategic alliances, the actions of competitors, the
development of competing technologies, CuraGen's ability to protect its patents
and proprietary rights, patent infringement actions and uncertainties relating
to commercialization rights. Please refer to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for
the fiscal year ended December 31, 2001 for a description of these risks. We
disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

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