Epistem to Announce Data on Its Stem Cell Cancer Assays at AACR

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