Minerva's discovery of the truncated form of MUC1 (called MUC1*) as a primal growth factor receptor for stem cells also revealed its role in cancer cells.  Over 75% of human solid tumors abberantly display this MUC1* protein.  Minerva has identified that it plays a foundational role in the both the rapid growth of cancer cells and their acquired chemoresistance to common theraputics.  We have shown that inhibiting the MUC1* activation in several forms of cancer not only significantly retards their growth rate, but also reestablished drug susceptibility to which the cells were previously resistant. 

This unprecedented illumination of growth and resitance mechanisms having a major common target has allow Minerva to aggressively target the development of theraputics designed to target this MUC1* receptor.  We are actively pursuing both biologic-type and small-molecule theraputics, and are currently engaged in efficacy and toxcitiy studies in animals.  We are focused on bringing a novel theraputic to the clinic for human testing in the near future.