Minerva's MUC1* Inhibitors Reverse Resistance to Chemotherapy

BOSTON--(Business Wire)--
Minerva Biotechnologies, a leading cancer and stem cell development company,
today announced a major breakthrough in the treatment of cancers. In an article
published this month in the Journal of Breast Cancer Research and Treatment,
"MUC1* is a Determinant of Trastuzumab (Herceptin) Resistance in Breast Cancer
Cells"
(http://www.springerlink.com/content/r2771113462l3324/?p=72b8c05f803d4232ab4a99efa3fc97c3&pi=5),
Minerva researchers reported that tumor cells that had grown resistant to
anti-cancer drugs do so by over-expressing a growth factor receptor that they
named MUC1*. Researchers reversed the drug resistance by treating the cancer
cells with the original drug plus one of Minerva`s proprietary MUC1* inhibitors.
The therapeutic effect of several anti-cancer drugs, including Genentech`s
blockbuster drug Herceptin, was restored when the drugs were co-administered
with a MUC1* antagonist.

Acquired drug resistance is a major problem for cancer therapy. In the United
States, 211,000 women are diagnosed each year with breast cancer. About 20% of
those women overexpress a specific growth factor receptor that Herceptin targets
and thus are eligible for treatment with that drug. Women treated with Herceptin
are three-times more likely to survive for at least five years and two-times
more likely to survive without a cancer recurrence. Unfortunately, up to 25% of
the patients who begin Herceptin treatment become resistant to the drug within
the first year. The results of Minerva`s study imply that Herceptin resistance
could be prevented or reversed by treating patients with a combination therapy
that includes a MUC1*-targeting drug. In addition to Herceptin, the study showed
that MUC1* inhibitors reversed acquired resistance to other chemotherapy drugs
including Taxol, Doxorubicin and Cylcophosphamide.

Minerva Biotechnologies
Cynthia Bamdad, 617-821-8773
cbamdad@minervabio.com

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