MANCHESTER, UK--(Marketwire - April 04, 2008) - Epistem Plc (LSE:
EHP), the UK epithelial stem cell company, announced today that data
on its cancer stem cell assays will be presented at the international
meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) at the
San Diego Convention Center, California, USA from 13th to 16th April
2008.
It has been suggested that tumours are derived from a small
subpopulation of "cancer stem cells." If these stem cells are not
affected by a cancer therapy the treatment is only likely to be
palliative and the tumour will re-grow. Epistem are currently
developing and validating cancer stem cell assays to test the effect
of novel cancer agents on this cell type to help identify more
effective treatments.
The poster presentation will demonstrate that a key regulator of
epithelial stem cells, discovered by Epistem's Novel Therapies
Division, inhibits the growth of cancer stem cells. Epistem have
assayed the protein in an in vitro cancer stem cell assay and have
shown it to reduce the formation of breast cancer spheres
(mammospheres) four-fold. Epistem's Contract Research Division also
provides the cancer stem cell assay on a contract basis for other
pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.
An abstract can be viewed on the AACR website at www.aacr.org or
under 'latest news' on the Epistem website at www.epistem.co.uk
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
For further information, please contact:
Matthew Walls
Chief Executive Officer
Epistem Plc
+44 (0)161 606 7258
+44 (0)7887 501998
Mike Wort / Anna Dunphy
Financial PR/IR
De Facto Communications
+44 (0) 207 861 3838