Clarient, Inc. (Nasdaq: CLRT), a premier technology and services resource for pathologists, oncologists and the pharmaceutical industry, today announced that privately held, Waltham, MA-based Minerva Biotechnologies has granted it the exclusive right to develop and commercialize a test that identifies the MUC1 protein, a biomarker researchers believe may be implicated in the spread of many cancers, including breast cancer.
"We believe MUC1 has the potential to have an impact on cancer diagnostics," said Clarient Chief Executive Officer Ron Andrews. "It's early in the evaluation process, but it may have significance in diagnosing, selecting therapy, and monitoring therapeutic efficacy in solid tumors. Early research has also demonstrated that MUC1 may play a role in developing resistance to cancer drugs, which means if you can block MUC1, you may be able to overcome resistance to a drug and, once again, offer that therapy."
Andrews said the relationship with Minerva and its biomarkers fits very well within Clarient's business model.
"Our growth model includes collaborating with academia and innovative companies, wherein the value of new biomarkers are defined," Andrews said. "Once validated, we can move forward with commercialization by taking the test to market via our robust national pathology distribution network. That is exactly what we are doing with the MUC1 test."
Commenting on the license arrangement, Dr. Cynthia Bamdad, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Minerva Biotechnologies, said, "We are very excited to have Clarient as our commercialization partner for our MUC1 diagnostic test. The MUC1 story has garnered a great deal of attention recently with Minerva's discovery that MUC1 is in an altered form, called MUC1, on embryonic stem cells and on cancer cells. This is the first direct evidence that cancer cells grow by hijacking a normal stem cell mechanism that usually exists in a dormant state on healthy adult cells. Minerva has compelling evidence that cancer cells that grow resistant to anti-cancer drugs do so by producing more MUC1."
Dr. Bamdad continued, "The November issue of the journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment includes our article outlining how the blocking of MUC1 can reverse an acquired resistance to cancer drugs, increasing the therapeutic choices for certain solid tumors."