What does Minerva Resource do?
When you go to the hospital for surgery for a disease such as cancer, the surgeon tries to remove all the affected tissue. A small piece of the removed tissue is used by pathologists to determine the type of cancer, the adequacy of the surgery, and other prognostic factors. Usually, the remainder of the resected tissue is discarded after a short time.
This discarded or "remnant" tissue is critically important for medical research as it represents a snap-shot of this disease. Following this surgery, clinical information regarding your recovery, along with a small amount of blood, may be collected during routine follow up visits with your physicians. By donating this remnant tissue, blood, and outcome information, researchers can find new and more powerful ways to detect and treat disease.
Minerva Resource is a non-profit organization that collects these important remnant tissues along with blood and other fluids and makes them available to scientists and medical researchers. Minerva Resource helps patients take an active role in medical research focused on improving health care.
How is this tissue obtained?
Remnant tissue is normally discarded shortly after your surgery. However, the cells of that sample contain material that offers important clues to researchers who are trying to identify new and more powerful ways to detect and treat the disease.
Much of the material in the remnant tissue sample - such as cells, DNA, RNA, and protein - are very fragile and therefore degrade rapidly when removed from the human body. Minerva Resource works with pathologists and technicians, located at partner hospitals, who use specialized techniques to rapidly preserve the remnant tissue so that the cellular components do not degrade.
The process of collection and preservation of the remnant sample for use in medical research causes no pain or discomfort to you as the tissue is already removed from the body. You are not billed for this process and there are no fees. In addition, no personal information is collected.
Your decision to donate or not donate these specimens will not affect your care. Your treatment will be the same. You will never be asked to take any drugs or undergo any additional procedures. Additional donations of blood will not be collected if you or your physician believe it may affect your condition.
Tissue samples and anonymous medical information is only provided to reputable scientists and is never provided to third parties such as insurance companies. You and Minerva Resource can help transform medical waste into an important resource that can one day help doctors detect and cure disease.
What is this tissue used for?
Blood specimens collected both before and during your treatment allow researchers to look for biomarkers in the blood to find better ways to diagnose and treat your disease.
Minerva Resource collaborates with scientists at numerous major universities, hospitals, and reputable companies throughout the United States. Together as a team, we can help benefit people with a variety of human diseases.
How can you make a difference?
All you need to do is request that remnant tissue from your surgery be used for biomedical research rather than be thrown away. Minerva Resource will then find dedicated and qualified scientists who study your disease. Working together you, researchers, and Minerva Resource, can make a tangible difference.
How can I learn more?
To learn more about this unique program and how you can participate and make a difference, contact Information or call Larry Blocher, M.D. at 714-888-5974.
